Metroid Prime Speed Guide

by NeoChozo Updated to v3.0 on Nov 17, 2012

:version 3.0: :updated 11/17/2012:
===================================
========== METROID PRIME ==========
======== 100% SPEED GUIDE =========
======= written by NeoChozo =======
===================================
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Welcome to my 100% speed run guide for METROID PRIME, the first game in
NINTENDO and RETRO STUDIOS' METROID PRIME sub-series. This text docu-
ment covers all of the pertinent information for speed running this
title. Version 3.0 of this guide is a complete, from-the-ground-up re-
write of the original speed run guide and has been revamped with mul-
tiple new items. Use the index below as a reference guide, and visit
GameFAQs to find guides I've written for other games in the Metroid and
Mega Man series.
LATEST UPDATE:
- Ver 3.0 (11/17/2012) - Finished complete reformat and rewrite of most
major sections of this walkthrough. Fixed a
number of item errors and small typographical
errors and changed the Legal section to re-
flect this being guide released under a
Creative Commons license.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
== CONTENTS ==
==============
1. Setup and Controls
2. About This Game
3. The Story So Far
4. Version Notes
5. Speed Tricks
6. Weapons and Items
7. Tallon IV Basics
8. Speed Walkthrough
A. Derelict Space Pirate Frigate
B. Tallon Overworld -> Chozo Ruins
C. Magmoor Caverns -> Phendrana Drifts
D. Chozo Ruins Revisited
E. Phendrana Drifts Revisited
F. Phazon Mines
G. Crashed Space Pirate Frigate
H. Phazon Mines Revisited
I. The Scavenger Hunt
J. Tallon Overworld -> Impact Crater
9. Item Locations
10. Secrets and Tips
11. Legal
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=========================
== 1. SETUP AND CONTROLS:
=========================
METROID PRIME was originally released for the Nintendo GameCube (GCN), but has
been ported to the Nintendo Wii as part of the METROID PRIME TRILOGY. Refer to
the setup manual for more detailed information on your individual platform. The
information contained within the remainder of this document should be used as a
means of "speed running" the game, or completing all objectives as quickly as
possible. Below is the listing of the default controller setup. Keep in mind
that you can switch some functions, like reassigning your visors and beams to
different sticks, or switching your viewing axes.
CONTROL STICK: Move around, Look around, Aim (with the R Button).
CONTROL PAD: Switch between available Visor Enhancements.
C STICK: Switch between available Beam Weapons.
START/PAUSE: Pause game, Bring up Databanks and Log Book.
L BUTTON: Lock onto enemies, Scan objects, and use Grapple Beam.
R BUTTON: Pan camera, Aim (with Control Stick), Activate Spider Ball.
Z BUTTON: Bring up Map Screen.
Y BUTTON: Fire Missiles/Charge Combos, Set Power Bombs.
X BUTTON: Switch in and out of Morph Ball form.
A BUTTON: Fire Beam Weapons, set Morph Ball Bombs.
B BUTTON: Jump, Activate Boost Ball, Strafe Dash (with L Button)
Do note that some secondary functions of the buttons require you to be in Morph
Ball form, such as setting Bombs or Boosting.
======================
== 2. ABOUT THIS GAME:
======================
METROID PRIME is a new kind of game for Samus Aran. Originally conceived back
in 1997 as the third-person perspective "METROID 64", this game was shelved
and delayed until outside developer RETRO STUDIOS picked up the option to fin-
ish it. It was transformed into a first-person perspective action/adventure
game, and immediately won a great number of fans soon after its release.
METROID PRIME brings a great many new features to what was previously thought
of a Metroid game. Metroid has always been about exploration of the surroun-
dings as well as combat, and RETRO STUDIOS did not fail to incorporate a great
deal of puzzle-solving into the mix of adventure and exploration here.
The game comes with two modes of difficulty - Normal for newer players, and
Hard for advanced players. Hard is only unlocked after completing the game once
in Normal Mode, and adds a significant challenge as all of the bosses are up-
graded and you, Samus Aran - are weaker. Part of the new emphasis on explor-
ation via your HUD is the Scan Visor which allows you to collect data on your
enemies and environment. There is an expansive "Log Book" that you can fill
with enemy and item data that you can use to unlock conceptual art galleries
throughout the game. Story also takes a great leap here as you piece together
all of the elements throughout the game by downloading Space Pirate logs and
ancient Chozo texts. Put all together, it makes for a very interesting journey
into the Metroid mythos.
All in all, RETRO STUDIOS took a risk trying something this different with the
Metroid franchise after an eight-year lull, but they managed to take a concept
that could have significantly bombed and turned it into something that spawned
two very successful sequels.
=======================
== 3. THE STORY SO FAR:
=======================
METROID PRIME has something of a rich backstory behind it that predates even
the first game. Therefore, I won't try and mince words about it, I'll just pro-
vide the introduction to the story as told from the game manual:
THE CHOZO
---------
The Chozo... Over millennia, this bird-like race of creatures made incredible
technological and scientific leaps. Traveling at will through space, they
built many marvels across the universe-technological wonders of unfathomable
complexity and cities unmatched in beauty. They shared their knowledge freely
with more primitive cultures and learned to care for and respect life in all
its forms.
Even as their society reached its technological peak, however, the Chozo felt
their spirituality wane. Their culture was steeped in prophecy and lore, and
they foresaw the decline of the Chozo coinciding with the rise of evil. Horr-
ified by the increasing violence in the universe, they began to withdraw into
themselves, forgoing technology in favor of simplicity. Tallon IV was one of
several refuges they built-a colony bereft of technology, built of natural
materials and wedded to the land and its creatures. The years passed, and in
time a great meteor crashed into Tallon IV, sending a massive spume of matter
into the atmosphere and impregnating the land with a cancerous element known
as Phazon. This element immediately sank into the earth and water, poisoning
life wherever it bloomed. Most plants and animals died, while others mutated
into hideous forms.
The Chozo called upon all their knowledge and technology to control the power
of the Phazon, but their efforts were doomed to fail. All they could do was
build a temple over the crater at the impact site, separate the Phazon core,
and seal it away. Believing that someday a savior would return to the planet,
the Chozo left for an unknown destination, leaving nothing but engraved
accounts of their time on Tallon IV.
THE SPACE PIRATES
-----------------
The Space Pirates were interstellar nomads, technologically advanced in both
space travel and weaponry. When they plundered the Metroid population on
SR388, they recognized in them massive military and energy resource potent-
ial. They immediately invaded the nearby planet of Zebes, wiping out all life
(including most of the indigenous Chozo) and building a massive network of
research facilities below the planet's surface. Deep below the surface of
Zebes, the Space Pirates researched Metroids for many years, even as a young
girl orphaned by their raid on the neighboring planet of K-2L was growing up
among the Chozo. Trained as a warrior and infused with Chozo blood, Samus
Aran donned a Chozo-made Power Suit and cut a swath through the Space Pirate
operation, destroying everything in her path, including the gargantuan main-
stays of the Space Pirate army, Ridley and Kraid. She eventually made it to
the core of their base, destroyed all the Metroids she saw, and seemingly
blew up the Mother Brain.
But the Space Pirates were far from finished. They immediately split their
survivors into two camps. One remained on Zebes to begin rebuilding their
ravaged facility and resuscitating Mother Brain, Ridley, and Kraid. The sec-
ond set out in search of a planet with powerful energy resources. They didn't
search long before they discovered Tallon IV, which was still emanating huge
pulses of energy from the Phazon contained beneath the Chozo temple. Entran-
ced by the massive potential of the strange mutagen, they immediately moved
in, retrofitting their laboratories, transporters, and life-support systems
into the Chozo Ruins. As the Space Pirates mined the Phazon and experimented
with it, they found that its capacity to mutate was unlike anything they'd
ever seen, and they promptly started combining it with indigenous lifeforms.
They refined their operation; powering their machinery with thermal-powered
engines sunk deep in the molten depths of Tallon IV, they drove deep mine-
shafts and mined more and more Phazon, shipping it to their two main labs in
the Phendrana Drifts, where sub-zero temperatures made specimen containment
safer. Research leaped forward: by harnessing Phazon's power, they were able
to create untold horrors that soon patrolled the dark caverns below Tallon
IV's crust.
The Space Pirates also transported many species to their orbiting ship for
zero-G Phazon experiments, unaware that Samus Aran had finally tracked their
ship to its low orbit. As they continued with their unnatural experiments,
Samus sped toward Tallon IV, preparing to wipe them out once and for all...
====================
== 4. VERSION NOTES:
====================
Before one gets too into this speed run guide, one needs to be familiar with
the following information. This guide is written using the NTSC-U/C Ver. 00
version of METROID PRIME. The PAL and the NTSC-J versions are in some respects
vastly different as certain elements were removed and/or altered. Additionally,
there were multiple releases in North America as well. Check the bottom of your
disc for the "00" number sequence. If it is "01" or anything else, you do not
have the "original" version of this game, released on November 18, 2002, and
as such will not be able to perform much of what this guide goes over. For any
who are unfamiliar with the terms, "U/C" means USA & Canada, PAL is a European
format of presenting graphics and sound ("Phase Alternating Line"), and "J" is
for Japanese consoles. NTSC stands for "National Television Standards Committ-
ee" - it's simply the organization that regulates standards for TV and video
game consoles. These acronyms are important to know so that you can correctly
identify which version of this game you have.
VERSION DIFFERENCES
-------------------
There are multiple graphical AND gameplay differences in the between the NTSC
U/C, PAL, and NTSC-J versions, as well as alterations in the various North
American re-releases. Most of what was changed for the PAL and NTSC-J vers-
ions holds true for the U/C re-releases, like the Player's Choice reissue.
1. DOOR TO PLASMA PROCESSING IS BLOCKED
A chunk of Bendezium sits in front of the door to Plasma Processing, mean-
ing that in order to get the Plasma Beam early, you need to go to Phen-
drana's Edge and get the Power Bomb Expansion first, then revisit Plasma
Processing, which in turn means that you have to make a second trip back
to Phendrana's Edge for the Artifact of Spirit.
2. STORAGE DEPOT B IS BLOCKED
Here also, there is Bendezium in front of the door leading to the Grapple
Beam. If you want it early, make sure you have the Power Bomb Expansion
from Phendrana's Edge.
3. PATH THROUGH WASTE DISPOSAL IS LOCKED
In the original version, you can bypass the initial Space Pirate battle in
the Phazon Mines by taking a shortcut from the Main Quarry into the Waste
Disposal using L-Lock Dash Jumps. In subsequent versions, this door has a
lock on it until you have acquired the Grapple Beam.
4. FURNACE SPIDER BALL TRACK
The "Track Jump" trick, where you can force your way up a small Spider
Ball track to get the Ice Beam early does not work in all subsequent ver-
sions. You can, however, still use a Triple Bomb Jump.
5. NO HUNTER METROID IN FROST CAVE
In the original, there is a lone Hunter Metroid lurking in the Frost Cave
of Phendrana Drifts. In all revisions, this is absent, and you'll see your
first one at the second level of the Phazon Mines.
6. FISSION METROIDS OUTSIDE OF THE IMPACT CRATER
In the original, you don't encounter any Fission Metroids until you are
at the Impact Crater. In subsequent ports, you will run into the Fission
Metroids starting in Metroid Quarantine A and in greater numbers than the
regular Metroids. The third level of the Mines is almost on par with the
Impact Crater.
7. WEAPON REFILL DIFFERENCES
New Missile Refills were added to the PAL and NTSC-J versions: the "Small
Missile Ammo" gives you 2 Missiles, the "Medium Missile Ammo" gives you 5
Missiles, and the "Large Missile Ammo" gives you 10 Missiles.
8. WATER TEXTURING DIFFERENCES
The water has some nice effects to it, namely the lakes ripple with some
waves and the rain glistens as it runs down rocky surfaces or any other
kind of solid surface.
===================
== 5. SPEED TRICKS:
===================
Completing all of the objectives of this game in a speedy fashion necessitates
some unorthodox moves from time to time. Some of these include manipulating the
bomb refill timer, while others outright take advantage of glitches in the
game itself. Below you will find a reference of the major speed tricks used in
this particular run - these are the ones that are easiest to grasp. Some of
the more advanced ones, such as tricks used in the sub 1:30 runs aren't covered
here.
SAMUS' STANDARD MOVES
---------------------
These are moves that are pre-programmed into the game already that you can
use to take advantage of terrain and obstacles.
1. DOUBLE BOMB JUMP
To pull this move off, set a Bomb and carefully watch the animation. Every
time you set off a Morph Ball Bomb, the Bomb shimmers for a little bit
prior to exploding. In the split second that the shimmering stops, set the
second Bomb, and let the first Bomb pop you up. At the peak of your Bomb
Jump, set your third Bomb. As you come back down, the second one will det-
onate, popping you up into the third Bomb's explosion, which will send you
even higher.
2. L-LOCK JUMP
This one is really easy, and actually gains you a bit of height. The best
places to use it are the times when you need to make precision jumps (if
you're going for low percentage and skipping the Grapple Beam, for exam-
ple). To lock your view, simply hold the L Button and pan downwards until
you are literally staring at your feet. As you get your desired angle, let
go of the Control Stick and the R Button and you'll be able to make your
jumps while not losing sight of what you're trying to reach. This trick
helps immensely when getting the Plasma Beam without the Spider Ball.
3. L-LOCK STRAFE DASH
Hold L to lock on to a target, then tap B while locked on to move from
side to side around them in a circle. This comes in handy during pretty
much the entire game and is upgraded a bit after acquiring the Space Jump
Boots.
4. TRACTOR CHARGE
Once you find the Charge Beam, you can tractor refills to your location by
aiming at them and charging up. If they're within range, they'll be pulled
to you, eliminating the need for you to go to them.
SAMUS' ADVANCED MOVES
---------------------
These speed tricks were developed by resourceful players to aid in completing
objectives without "required" equipment and are used to shorten exploration
time.
1. TRIPLE BOMB JUMP
This move is a bit difficult to pull off at first, because it requires
precise timing on the controls. Once you have a feel for it, though, it
becomes easier. To start this, set the first Bomb and let it pop you up.
Immediately upon landing, set the second Bomb. As the shimmering stops,
set the third (just like a Double Bomb Jump). As the second Bomb pops you
up, set your fourth bomb at the peak of your jump, and fall back into the
third Bomb's explosion. This will propel you up towards the fourth Bomb.
Right before reaching it, set the fifth Bomb, and as the fourth one pops
you up, set the sixth. The end result is a higher Bomb Jump than the reg-
ular DBJ will allow. The trick behind this is that you must set the first
three bombs before the Bomb Counter refills, so that you can set a total
of six consecutive Bombs.
Some areas this is useful:
- Arboretum (skip past the Runic Gate)
- Great Tree Hall (skip over the Spinner Gate)
- Furnace (skip the "Track Jump" trick)
2. WALL TRIPLE BOMB JUMP
You'll execute this in roughly the same sequence as a regular TBJ, only
you do it off of a wall. The game seems programmed to make you descend a
bit slower when against a wall, so here you can slightly alter the timing
of your Bombs via experimentation.
Some areas where this is useful:
- Furnace (skip the "Track Jump" for the Early Ice Beam).
- Phendrana Shorelines (gain access to the Chozo Ice Temple without the
Spider Ball).
3. BOMB LADDER
This one is a bit interesting, albeit very difficult to execute. Its use-
ful because it outclasses a DBJ in every respect. The timing for a Bomb
Ladder is the same as for the DBJ, but you will place the third Bomb a
bit differently. After you place Bomb # 2, move yourself off from the
surface where Bomb # 1 detonates, and place # 3 as close as humanly poss-
ible to your destination, then fall back to the ground. As you hit the
ground, roll into Bomb # 2, and blast yourself into Bomb # 3 without tak-
ing time to stop, and you'll rocket higher than you would've normally.
4. TRACK JUMP
This trick is useful, although in only one location. Start in the Furnace
area of Chozo Ruins, and go to the small Spider Ball track. What this can
do is exploit an apparent glitch in the way the Magnetic Rail is built by
using nonexistent platforms to "walk" up the track. Go to the Rail and
press forward into it, then turn to the left so you're facing a little
bit of the wall. While holding forward, you should start seeing the track
vibrate wildly. You can now Space Jump up while holding forward on the
Control Stick and you'll "land" on a platform that, for all intents and
purposes, doesn't really exist. Morph and hold forward to roll into the
small tunnel to proceed.
5. DBJ or TBJ-MORPH
This trick is a small variation on the 2D games' morph jumping moves. If
used properly, it can get you a bit of extra distance and/or height when
Bomb Jumping. To execute it, start from a place you can safely pull off a
DBJ or TBJ from, then hit X to unmorph at the peak of your jump. Pushing
forward on the Control Stick while the game adjusts to your suddenly in-
creased height launches you forward and boosts you a bit higher. Note that
the Morph can also be executed off of a Wall DBJ or TBJ.
6. L-LOCK DASH JUMP
This is another move that is tricky to pull off at first, but has mult-
iple uses throughout the game. This is a derivative of the Strafe Dash,
but its inherent beauty lies in the fact that once you execute the jump,
you can fly off in either direction at a general horizontal angle until
you strike a wall. You get hardly any height, but when coupled with the
Space Jump, you can altitude. To do it, lock onto an enemy or object and
start a normal Strafe Dash. *AS SOON AS* you start the dash, let go of L,
and, if done right, you'll launch horizontally in the direction of your
original Dash at high velocity. You must release your lock at the same
time as you start the initial Strafe Dash, or it won't work.
Some areas this is immensely useful in are:
- Landing Site (grab the Space Jump as the first item in the game).
- Main Quarry (fly across the wide open area towards the Pirate Base).
7. GHETTO JUMP
This special jump involves you jumping up against a wall and then pushing
out from the wall during a Space Jump. You can do single Ghetto Jumps as
well; the end result is a slight boost in height and distance if you're
trying to go farther. This operates on the same principle as the wall
DBJ or Wall TBJ - sliding against a wall increases your height.
Mastery of these tricks is a necessity if you plan on following the route out-
lined in this speed guide. But as they say, practice makes perfect. Don't be
mistaken and think you can attempt and pull these off without a good deal of
practice.
========================
== 6. WEAPONS AND ITEMS:
========================
The Power Suit is an advanced Chozo exoskeleton that the Chozo modified for
your personal use. It provides life support functions and is well shielded from
attack. The modular nature of the Power Suit allows for the addition of weap-
ons, Visors, and other gear as needed, all of which are strewn about the planet
Tallon IV.
BEAM WEAPON ENHANCEMENTS
------------------------
Beam Weapons are gained throughout the game. To utilize each one, use the C
Stick to swap which Beam Weapon is currently active. Each has an unlimited
rate of fire, and with the Charge Beam, can be amplified for more power.
1. POWER BEAM
The Power Beam is the default Arm Cannon. It has the best rate of fire,
and can be used to open Blue Doors. If you see your shots ricochet, cease
fire; the Power Beam is not working against that target. You can use the
Power Beam to quickly clear an area of weak foes.
2. CHARGE BEAM
This weapon is found in the CHOZO RUINS. It allows you to increase the
damage and effectiveness of the Arm Cannon and other Beam Weapons. The
Charge Beam has a limited 'tractor beam' capacity that you can use to pull
small objects to you. There are Charge Combo Beam Enhancements that util-
ize the Charge Beam and the Missile Launcher in tandem to fire much larger
blasts.
3. ICE BEAM
This weapon is found in the CHOZO RUINS. It can freeze enemies solid, and
shots from it can also slow foes down. The Ice Beam can be used to open
White Doors. This weapon is particularly effective against fire-based
creatures. Charging this beam increases the amount of time an enemy will
stay frozen. Additionally, some frozen enemies can be shattered by Missile
impacts.
4. WAVE BEAM
This weapon is found in PHENDRANA DRIFTS. It fires electrically-charged
bolts, and can be used to operate some machinery. It has a limited homing
capability, but must be fired with a lock-on to work. The Wave Beam can be
used to open Purple Doors. Charging this weapon fires a fierce electrical
blast; enemies struck by this will be enveloped in electrical energy for a
few seconds.
5. PLASMA BEAM
This weapon is found in MAGMOOR CAVERNS. It fires streams of molten energy
that can burn enemies and ignite flammable objects. The Plasma Beam can be
used to open Red Doors. This weapon is particularly effective against ice-
based enemies. Charging this weapon creates a sphere of plasma energy;
enemies struck by this will be engulfed in flames for a few moments.
6. PHAZON BEAM
This weapon is gained after your Power Suit becomes Phazon-corrupted in
the PHAZON MINES. It is capable of channeling pure Phazon through the Arm
Cannon into charged Phazon blasts, but is only activated when in the pres-
ence of high concentrations of Phazon. The Charge Beam functionality is
disabled when the Phazon Beam is active.
MISSILE SYSTEM ENHANCEMENTS
---------------------------
Your Arm Cannon can be adapted into a concussive blast system that enables
you to fire energy-based Missiles. Missiles can be charged with Beam Weapons
to create Charge Combos if you have found the corresponding upgrade, or you
can fire groups of Missiles on their own.
1. MISSILE LAUNCHER
The first Missile Expansion gives you the ability to fire Missiles, and is
found in the CHOZO RUINS. Missiles fired with a lock-on will seek their
targets. Missiles can destroy objects made from Brinstone. There are also
Charge Combo enhancements scattered throughout the environment. They use
the Missile Launcher and the Charge Beam in tandem to fire more effective
blasts.
CHARGE COMBO ENHANCEMENTS
-------------------------
The Charge Combos let you use the Missile Lancher and the Arm Cannon together
for combination attacks that are stronger than the Beam Weapons on their own.
When charged, press Y to fire the selected Beam's Charge Combo. Each shot
consumes Missiles to fire.
1. SUPER MISSILE
This upgrade is found in PHENDRANA DRIFTS. This is the Power Beam's Charge
Combo. This is a Single Shot Charge Combo that fires a powerful energy
Missile. Each shot consumes 5 additional Missiles. Super Missiles can des-
troy Cordite structures.
2. ICE SPREADER
This upgrade is found in MAGMOOR CAVERNS. This the Ice Beam's Charge Com-
bo. This is a Single Shot Charge Combo that fires a wide-area freezing
attack. Each shot consumes 10 additional missiles. The Ice Spreader is
limited against aerial targets.
3. WAVEBUSTER
This upgrade is found in the CHOZO RUINS. This is the Wave Beam's Charge
Combo. This is a Sustained Charge Combo that fires a potent blast of elec-
tricity that auto-seeks targets in the area. Each shot consumes 10 Miss-
iles to activate, plus 5 additional missiles per second afterwards.
4. FLAMETHROWER
This upgrade is found in the PHAZON MINES. This is the Plasma Beam's
Charge Combo. This is a Sustained Charge Combo that you can use to sweep a
stream of flame across multiple targets in an area. Each shot consumes 10
Missiles to activate, plus 5 additional missiles per second afterwards.
MORPH BALL ENHANCEMENTS
-----------------------
The Morph Ball function allows you to compact your size in order to fit into
small passageways. There are multiple upgrades to this form that increase
your effectiveness while morphed.
1. MORPH BALL
This upgrade is found in the CHOZO RUINS. It changes your Suit into a com-
pact, mobile sphere. You can freely roll around like a ball when in this
form, but you cannot jump without unmorphing.
2. MORPH BALL BOMB
This upgrade is also found in the CHOZO RUINS, and is your default weapon
when you are in Morph Ball form. The Morph Ball Bomb can be used to break
cracked walls and activate certain devices. If the Morph Ball is near a
Bomb when it explodes, it will be popped a short distance into the air.
The Morph Ball Bomb can easily break items made of Sandstone or Talloric
Alloy.
3. BOOST BALL
This upgrade is found in PHENDRANA DRIFTS. It can be used to increase the
Morph Ball's speed for short periods. Press and hold B to charge, then re-
lease B to trigger a quick Speed Boost. When charging, the longer you hold
B, the longer (and faster) the Boost Charge will be. Throughout the envir-
onment, you will encounter U-shaped channels known as half-pipes. Using
the Boost Ball in these areas will let you reach higher places. Build a
charge as you descend in the half-pipe, then trigger the Boost as you as-
cend the other side. This will give you the speed and momentum you need to
reach new heights.
4. SPIDER BALL
This upgrade is also found in PHENDRANA DRIFTS. It allows you to move the
Morph Ball along magnetic rails. Press and hold R to activate the Spider
Ball ability, then follow the magnetic rails to explore new areas. The
Morph Ball Bomb can be used to trigger a Bomb Jump while attached to a
rail.
5. POWER BOMB
This upgrade is initially found in the PHAZON MINES, but Expansions are
found throughout the environment. This is the strongest Morph Ball weapon,
and can destroy many materials, including Bendezium. Each Power Bomb Exp-
ansion you find increases the number of Power Bombs you can carry by 1.
ARMOR AND ENERGY ENHANCEMENTS
-----------------------------
You can find specialized Armor Enhancements that increase your defensive cap-
abilities, your mobility, and your radiation exposure levels.
1. VARIA SUIT
This upgrade is found in the CHOZO RUINS. It adds increased heat resist-
ance to the Power Suit and increases your defensive shielding. While the
Varia Suit can handle higher temperatures than normal, some extreme heat
sources and heat-based attacks still cause damage.
2. GRAVITY SUIT
This upgrade is found in PHENDRANA DRIFTS. It eliminates the effects of
liquid on your movement, and increases your defensive shielding. It will
allow you to move unhindered in water, but does not reduce damage when ex-
posed to hazardous fluids. Visor modifications with the Gravity Suit allow
you to better see underwater.
3. PHAZON SUIT
This upgrade is gained after your Power Suit becomes Phazon-corrupted in
the PHAZON MINES. The viral corruption here has some beneficial side eff-
ects, such as complete resistance to Blue Phazon. In addition to Phazon
resistance, the corruption has dramatically increases defensive shielding
levels.
4. ENERGY TANK
There are 14 Energy Tanks scattered throughout the environment. These will
increase the power level available to your Suit's defensive screens. Each
Energy Tank increases your Suit's energy by 100 units. The more energy
your Suit has, the longer you can stay alive. You can fully recharge your
Energy Tanks at Save Stations as well as your Gunship.
VISOR ENHANCEMENTS
------------------
Your Visor is your primary means of navigation through the environment. Mod-
ifications to it will allow you to increase the number of things you can see
and track via radar optics.
1. COMBAT VISOR
The Combat Visor is your default Visor. It provides you with a Heads-Up
Display (HUD) containing radar, mini map, lock-on reticules, threat ass-
essment, energy gauge, and Missile count. Icons for the Beam Weapons you
possess are shown in the lower-right corner of the Combat Visor. Icons for
the Visors you possess are shown in the lower-left corner of the Combat
Visor.
2. SCAN VISOR
The Scan Visor is a secondary default Visor, and is used to collect data.
Some devices will activate when scanned. Move the Visor magnifier over
targets with the orange symbol, then press and hold L to scan. Press A to
turn the Visor off. Mission-critical scan targets will be red in color.
Scanning enemies with this Visor can reveal their vulnerabilities. You
will be unable to fire any weapons while the Scan Visor is active.
3. THERMAL VISOR
This upgrade is found in PHENDRANA DRIFTS. It allows you to see objects
in the infrared spectrum. Hot objects are bright to the Visor, and cooler
objects are dim. The Thermal Visor will show the weak points of certain
foes. Use the Thermal Visor in total darkness and poor weather conditions.
Brightly lit areas, explosions, and intense heat can impair the Thermal
Visor. Enemies with temperatures close to their surroundings will be tough
to spot with this Visor. You are also able to track hidden power lines
with this Visor.
4. X-RAY VISOR
This upgrade is found in TALLON OVERWORLD. It allows you to see through
certain types of materials. The X-Ray Visor can reveal invisible items,
areas, and enemies. Robotic enemies jam the X-Ray Visor's frequency, so
eliminate them to restore function to the Visor. You can also acquire alt-
ernate targets on some enemies with this Visor.
MOVEMENT SYSTEM ENHANCEMENTS
----------------------------
Part of your power is your agility and jumping prowess. With these special
Chozo upgrades, your mobility is greatly enhanced.
1. SPACE JUMP BOOTS
This upgrade is found in TALLON OVERWORLD. These increase your leaping
capability by way of boot-mounted thrusters. Press B to jump, then press B
again during the jump to use the Space Jump Boots and double jump.
2. GRAPPLE BEAM
This upgrade is found in the PHAZON MINES. It allows you to swing back and
forth from special points in the environment. Grapple Points appear in
your Visor as the little Grapple Hook icons. Press and hold L to fire the
Grapple Beam. Hold L to stay connected; let go to release. The Grapple
Beam can be used to cross wide gaps. You can alter your path while swing-
ing from the Grapple Point as well.
=======================
== 7. TALLON IV BASICS:
=======================
RETRO STUDIOS has done a masterful job preserving the classic exploration ele-
ment of the Metroid games with this installment. You play from the first person
perspective, but you'll still encounter plenty of the fierce action and plat-
forming style that defines Metroid. You'll find that over half the game is
about learning your surroundings and exploiting them, searching high and low,
bombing obstacles out of the way. Looking for more efficient routes is integral
to the game. The 3D maps can get somewhat confusing at times, but with patience
and skill, you'll make it through. What you'll find below is a brief list of
some things to consider that might make your journey through Tallon IV a bit
less hair-raising.
GENERAL TIPS
------------
1. Like in almost every Metroid game, you'll often deal with not just one
enemy, but an entire horde of them. Make liberal use of the L Button dur-
ing a swarm to constantly target and pick off the nearest threat to you.
In later cases such as with Auto Defense Turrets, Flying Pirates, and the
Fission Metroids, you can sometimes use doors to your advantage to provide
cover. Flying Pirates and Fission Metroids, due to their size, cannot fit
through the doors, so it's really easy to stay on the opposite side and
pick your targets off from there.
2. Even though there is a lot of information to process, your Combat HUD can
be a lifesaver in battle. It will definitely help you to check out your
Radar and Mini-Map features regularly. Your Threat Assessment will slowly
increase as you near dangerous areas, and when enemies are present, your
targeting reticles will automatically appear.
3. It's been said already, but you need to have more than just a passing fam-
iliarity with the Speed Tricks used in this game. Unless you plan on doing
a segmented run with multiple save points, you need to be able to execute
these tricks in at least one or two attempts.
4. Every room in the world has a name. If you're unfamiliar with them, you
can press Z at any time to call up the map, which will highlight which one
you're in. Many points in this walkthrough refer to specific locations,
so this will be helpful for you to know the room layouts and how they con-
nect to each other.
5. Once you begin encountering Metroids, keep the following in mind. Normal
Metroids will usually mind their own business until you get close, while
Hunter Metroids will attack from farther away. Fission Metroids, on the
other hand, will usually begin chasing you the moment you enter a partic-
ular room. If you have Missiles to spare and need to defeat a Metroid to
move on, but don't feel like getting within snacking range, you can always
fire a Missile to attract its attention and lure it over to you.
AREAS OF TALLON IV
------------------
The planet has seven distinct regions that you'll explore during the game.
Each one has its own unique characteristics that you'll have to contend with.
Like SUPER METROID, most of these regions are connected to others via use of
large planetary elevators, and there are often multiple transport elevators
leading to different regions within a single area. What follows below is an
abbreviated list of the regions of Tallon IV.
1. SPACE PIRATE FRIGATE
This orbiting ship is your first area of the game. Some of the Space Pir-
ates' Phazon experiments live here. Later in the game, you'll explore this
again, but it will be underwater.
2. TALLON OVERWORLD
This area somewhat resembles a wetland area. It is lush and overgrown with
vegetation, is under a constant state of rainfall, and has rivers and lake
terrain features.
3. CHOZO RUINS
The ancient ruined city of the Chozo lies in an arid desert-like area.
A lot of crumbling structures litter the region, but as you get deeper in-
to the ruins, you will find man-made watery features.
4. MAGMOOR CAVERNS
The lava caves of the planet lie far underground, close to the mantle of
the planet. There are lava lakes and volcanic features all over the land-
scape, along with a number of man-made features for harnessing thermal
resources.
5. PHENDRANA DRIFTS
These snow-covered mountains are far above the lava caverns. This mostly
frozen wasteland houses a Space Pirate research facility and the old Chozo
Ice Temple.
6. PHAZON MINES
This desolate area is where the Space Pirates have made their headquarters
area, though much of it is underground. There is a lot of raw Phazon in
this region, making navigation quite hazardous.
7. IMPACT CRATER
This small area can only be accessed with the twelve Artifacts of Chozo
that are scattered through the world. The source of all Phazon can be
found deep within the crater.
GETTING AROUND
--------------
Running around a planet takes a long time. Fortunately, there are plenty of
region-connecting transport elevators that link them. Moving around within
individual areas is accomplished via doors, gates, or tunnels. Transports
must be scanned before they can be used, and then remain active for the rest
of the game. There are four main types of doors, but certain conditions can
affect the use of them. Other than transports and doors, there are tunnels
you can access with the Morph Ball and Magnetic Rails that you can travel
along with the Spider Ball. Refer below to see a short list of the means you
will be using to move from place to place.
DOORS
-----
1. BLUE DOOR
These are standard doors, and can be opened with any Beam or Bomb.
2. PURPLE DOOR
These doors can only be opened with the Wave Beam.
3. WHITE DOOR
These doors can only be opened with the Ice Beam.
4. RED DOOR
These doors can only be opened with the Plasma Beam.
5. BLAST SHIELD
A red shield over a door means that a Missile impact is required. Once
the shield has been destroyed, it becomes a normal door.
6. LOCKED DOOR
This kind of door is a regular passage, but is locked until a certain
objective (defeated boss, scanned item, etc.) has been accomplished.
OTHER TRANSPORTATION
--------------------
1. TRANSPORT ELEVATOR
You'll use the Scan Visor to activate these giant lifts that take you
from place to place around Tallon IV. Once a particular Transport is
activated, it remains online for the duration of the game.
2. MORPH BALL TUNNEL
Once the Morph Ball has been acquired, you can and will use these small
passages to travel new places. Some tunnels are blocked, though, and the
obstructions must be removed.
3. MAGNETIC RAIL
These black and yellow rails line some areas later in the game, and can
only be traversed with the Spider Ball. Hold R when near a Rail to mag-
netically attach to and use them.
4. POWER CONDUIT
Late in the game, you'll re-explore the Frigate, only this time it is
underwater and without power. In order to move through, you need to
find power conduits and restore power with the Wave Beam.
POWER-UP STATIONS
-----------------
There are various consoles you will find that can aid your progress in some
form or another.
1. MAP STATION
These will allow you to download an entire copy of an area map. Step into
the hologram to download the data, and Z to open your Map Screen.
2. SAVE STATION
These will allow you to save your game progress. Step into the hologram,
and your game will be saved up to that point. These also have the benefit
of restoring all of your energy, but not your weapons.
3. MISSILE STATION
These will refill your Missile complement. Step into the hologram and you
will emerge with your weapons complement refilled.
OBSTRUCTIONS AND HAZARDS
------------------------
There are many things in Tallon IV's environment that will hinder your prog-
ress. Some are natural, while others are man-made.
1. SANDSTONE
This relatively weak structure can be destroyed with Morph Ball Bombs.
2. TALLORIC ALLOY
This weak metal can be destroyed with Morph Ball Bombs.
3. RADION
This is a stronger kind of rock that can only be destroyed with Missiles.
4. BRINSTONE
This kind of rock is similar to Radion, and can be destroyed with Missiles.
5. CORDITE
This powerful kind of metal can only be destroyed with Super Missiles.
6. BENDEZIUM
This is a super-dense type of rock that can only be destroyed using Power
Bombs.
7. WATER
By itself, it can't harm you, but unless you have the Gravity Suit, your
progress will be impeded significantly.
8. LAVA
This hot liquid impedes your progress like water, but you will take damage
at a constant rate if exposed to it.
9. PHAZON
This highly radioactive substance will harm you like the plague. The blue
variety's effects can be negated with the Phazon Suit, but the red variety
can still easily kill you.
ENGAGING IN COMBAT
------------------
METROID PRIME's Combat System is fairly straightforward in design. When you
are engaging a target, you will ordinarily use the Combat Visor, although
invisible enemies must be tracked with either the Thermal or X-Ray Visors.
Hold L to lock on to your target so you can always be facing it. Tap B while
locked on for your Strafe Dash move so you can circle the enemy and avoid
most attacks thrown your way. Some enemies, such as Eyons or some cloaked
enemies can't be locked onto, so you'll have to use R to manually aim towards
them. Most enemies are also elemental in design - ice enemies are weak to
fire and vice versa. Most enemies are always weak to electricity, too. Know-
ing how to defeat an enemy quickly may often make the difference between a
quick kill and one that takes extra time. Some enemies or objects can by
their very nature hinder your abilities - Scatter Bombus can interfere with
your systems no matter what Visor you use, and steam pockets or waterfalls
will fog your Visor up. Finally, know which Visor to use. Some enemies can be
tracked with multiple Visors, but it's important to know which one to use and
when.
=====================
8. SPEED WALKTHROUGH:
=====================
This speed walkthrough itself is broken into segments that comprise the major
parts of the game, and are in turn further subdivided into the actual areas of
the planet you'll be visiting. These will be notated appropriately when you
leave one area and go to another. Sometimes throughout this speed guide, you
will see references to varying scan data. Often, it will be just as described,
but know that if the Hints System is enabled, some of them will appear only if
the game computer decides you're not making progress towards what it thinks the
next objective is. It is possible to complete the game, though, without ever
being notified of the odd gravity patterns in Phendrana, or the location of the
Research Core, etc.
LOG BOOK ENTRIES
----------------
As this is a speed walkthrough, there are going to be a lot of obvious side
trips that won't be covered, the biggest one being the Log Book. Only scans
that are critical to game completion are covered here. If you want a complete
listing of the Log Book items and how to get them, refer to the other walk-
through I've written for a "regular" run through the game.
ITEM NUMBERING
--------------
Every collectible item is numbered within the walkthrough segments. This was
originally designed as a writing feature so I could keep track of the items
as they were collected, but it ends up being a handy reference for the player
reading the guide as well. This numbering format lists the item pickup with
the amount you will then have total, divided by the total amount to be found
by the end of the game. For example, "MISSILE EXPANSION (005/250)", or "ENER-
GY TANK (01/14)"
HARD MODE
---------
As a general rule, Hard Mode only increases the strength of the enemies and
bosses in the game, and doubles the amount of damage you receive from enemy
attacks. Therefore, the individual walkthroughs will not cover Hard Mode, but
each boss section will have an additional strategy part that covers what to
expect from each battle.
With all of that covered, the walkthrough itself begins below. Watch the open-
ing cinematic to see how Samus finds the Space Pirate ship. Once your ship fin-
ishes its landing sequence, the game will begin.
8A. DERELICT SPACE PIRATE FRIGATE
---------------------------------
This section details the first part of this speed run, as you explore the
Space Pirate Frigate, the Orpheon.
: =SPACE PIRATE FRIGATE= :
Once the cinematic ends, you'll find yourself on the Orpheon's Deck Alpha
Docking Bay. From your starting point, you'll see a blue forcefield in front
of you. Lock on to and shoot each of the four orbs to deactivate it so you
can advance. Next, activate the Scan Visor as you're running to quickly act-
ivate the next forcefield; deactivate the orbs as you did before. Now hang a
left and run across the walkway to the blue door; shoot it open and head
through. Scan the consoles as you go; you need to repressurize the airlocks
before you can move on. The next room is the Emergency Evacuation Area. Head
down the ramp and leap over the critters in here. Take out the injured Space
Pirate on the floor and head through the next door. In the next hallway, you
will reach a small impasse; use the Charge Beam to blast through the rubble
and head deeper into the Frigate. The next hallway will show a short cinema
of three Parasites escaping into a small tunnel. Ignore them and continue on
through the next door, using the Scan Visor to activate the elevator which
takes you down to Deck Beta.
On Deck Beta, you'll have to use the Morph Ball to navigate some damaged tun-
nels. Once you reach Biotech Research Area 1, you'll find a couple of injured
Space Pirates, but none of them pose too much of a threat. Shoot them only if
they get in your way, otherwise just run past them. Through the next door and
around the bend lies an Auto Defense Turret; peek out from around the corner
and take it out with a Missile. Once you reach the Biohazard Containment (the
room you reach that has a lot of computer terminals in it), strafe around the
central tank to take out the next Auto Defense Turret, and use the nearby
elevator to go up one more level. Up here, contend with the three Space Pir-
ates, then head on through the door. Quickly eliminate the Auto Defense Turr-
ets here, and take the elevator down to Deck Gamma.
Down here, kill another Space Pirate, and scan the consoles to activate the
hologram for the Morph Ball. Ignore the Auto Defense Turrets, and quickly
morph into a ball to activate the door. Two more Auto Defense Turrets are in
the next room; again, ignore them and repeat the same Morph Ball sequence to
unlock the next door, which leads into the Reactor Core. Continuing on will
activate a pre-boss cinematic.
BOSS BATTLE: PARASITE QUEEN
---------------------------
As is common to Metroid games, the Parasite Queen is pretty large. Read
below for Normal and Hard Mode strategies for beating this mutated monster.
[NORMAL MODE]
In this mode, the Parasite Queen is quite a pushover. This fight serves to
more or less get you acquainted with close-quarters fighting and strafing
techniques. Start off scanning the boss to identify its weak point, and
then hold your lock while the boss spins around. During this phase, all you
will have to dodge is a searing green laser and wait for its shields to
stop rotating. Target the mouth and pepper it with Power Beam shots - most
will bounce off, but some of them will get through. Once the shield stops
rotating, find the opening in it and quickly toggle between A and Y so you
can rapid-fire your Missiles - this trick seems to only work in the orig-
inal version of the game, but is extremely effective since you don't have
to wait for your Missile Launcher to activate and deactivate. If you do
this correctly, you can kill this boss in a single round.
[HARD MODE]
There isn't a lot that changes for this version of the fight, except that
the Parasite Queen's laser does more damage, and its shield stays deactiv-
ated for less time. Continue with the same strategy as during Normal Mode,
and keep going until this boss has been defeated. If you run out of Miss-
iles, just resort to charged Power Beam fire to finish it off.
Once you've eliminated the Parasite Queen, the self-destruct will activate,
and you'll have seven minutes to get out before the plays blows. Follow these
directions and run as fast as humanly possible to clear this area in just
over four minutes.
The upper door is sealed, but the camera will automatically point you in the
direction you need to go. Run through the cooridors and scan the console in
front of you to deactivate the Auto Defense Turret up ahead. As you reenter
Biotech Research Area 1, some Space Pirates will be busy fighting off another
large Parasite. Run past them and up the ramp that the resulting explosion
creates, then leap and hop your way to the circular pipe in the distance,
avoiding the hail of fire from the Space Pirates. Once in, morph into a ball
to accelerate down the tunnels (do this for all the downward subventilation
shafts). Maneuver yourself to avoid the Parasite swarms, and continue on your
way through all the shafts until you reach the Cargo Bay Access. Follow the
giant crates and exit out the right-hand tunnel to work your way through to
Biotech Research Area 2. Wait for the cinema with Meta Ridley to end, then
use the Grapple Beam to swing across the pit in front of you. Make a run
for the door and down the hallway to the Deck Alpha Elevator. Scan it, watch
as the electrical surge destroys your suit upgrades, then ride the elevator
up. At the top, wind your way through the twisting passages using L and some
blind movements (it helps to memorize the exact layout of these corridors so
you don't get stuck) and sprint down the hallway to the end where you have to
let the airlock repressurize. Wait the eternity for it to do so, then take
off running some more to reach the docking bays, where you'll safely make it
to your Gunship. Now watch the next cinema as you land on Tallon IV.
8B. TALLON OVERWORLD -> CHOZO RUINS
-----------------------------------
This section details the second part of this speed run, which takes you
through Tallon Overworld and the Chozo Ruins, culminating in a battle against
Flaahgra.
: =TALLON OVERWORLD= :
A short cinema will ensue as you speed through the atmosphere of Tallon IV
and land on the surface of the world. This outer area is known as the Tallon
Overworld, and you'll be pleased to know that your sequence-breaking of the
game starts right here in the beginning. Save your game when you're prompted,
and exit the Gunship. From your starting position, move slightly back and to
the right so that you're standing on the back-right engine. Switch to your
Scan Visor and make sure that the little portal for your ship is as far left
as it possibly can go. Now look out and lock onto part of the Tallon fauna
above the blue door way off in the distance. You will now execute the L-Lock
Dash Jump maneuver - lock onto the fauna, start your strafe and release L at
the same time. Done correctly, you'll fly off to the right and hit a wall.
Hold back on the Stick so you don't fall off, then rotate on your axis to
face the area that was somewhat behind you. Now head over across the short
gaps to reach the Alcove room where the [SPACE JUMP BOOTS] upgrade sits just
waiting for you to collect it. Now that you have a double jump, all sorts of
things are open to you!
Exit the Alcove back to the Landing Site, and hop down from the ledge so you
can quickly re-save at your Gunship. Now exit and head to the right, going
through the blue door as you would normally. Run past the Beetles that pop
out of the ground, and exit out to Tallon Canyon. Maneuver your way around
here, avoiding more Beetles until you reach the door at the end. Continue
down this hallway to reach the Transport leading down to the Chozo Ruins.
: =CHOZO RUINS= :
From the Chozo Ruins entryway, Space Jump over the Beetles and head through
the door to reach the Main Plaza. As you head down, more Beetle swarms will
attack you, so take them out and head to the half-pipe in the middle. Look
for the slight hole on the right-hand side, and look straight up. Start Space
Jumping and you should be able to wedge yourself into an enclave where you'll
be able to grab the first [MISSILE EXPANSION (005/250)] without having to
fight the Hive Mecha mini-boss for the real upgrade!
Head back down and through the door with the Blast Shield on it to reach the
Ruined Shrine. Landing in this area will trigger the mini-boss battle with
the Plated Beetle, but you can ignore it and Space Jump over the wall so you
can claim the [MORPH BALL]. From your current position, make a long Space
Jump back over the room and exit back out to the Main Plaza. Head to the back
of the Plaza and start ascending the platforms lining the walls. Take out the
lone War Wasp circling overhead, and Space Jump off of the bridge towards
the blue door while ignoring the War Wasp swarm. Enter the door and proceed
into Fountain Access - more Scarabs and a Morph Ball passage await you in
here. Head into the Ruined Fountain and make a Space Jump off to the left
where the next blue door is, and head through the access tunnel into the open
Arboretum.
Turn immediately left and shoot the Reaper Vine to make it retract into the
wall, and start leaping your way to the ledges that wind around the center
tree structure. Cross the bridge near the top, and head down the incline,
rolling if you want to, to reach the door at the bottom. Head through and in-
to the Gathering Hall area. You should be getting a message regarding a Save
Station near you, but ignore it for now. Once in the Gathering Hall, cross
along the lower right path (where the cluster of Blastcaps are) into the
Watery Hall Access. As you round the corner, take aim and fire at the Shriek-
bats that divebomb you from the top of the ceiling. At the lowest point in
the room, shoot a Missile at the left wall to break it and reveal a [MISSILE
EXPANSION (010/250)]. Once in the Watery Hall, you must locate and scan four
runic symbols to activate a gate high above you. Jump to the ledge near the
entry door and turn around. As you pan to the right, you should see the first
rune. Hop back down and cross the platforms on the water until you reach a
Blastcap cluster. Destroy them and find a second rune on the floor. Head to
the back of the room where the third symbol lies on the wall. Finally, return
to the entry point and navigate the ledges up and over to the large gate.
Scan the wall near it to find the fourth rune, then turn and scan the gate
itself to unlock it. Now Space Jump to the [CHARGE BEAM] upgrade sitting near
the back. After grabbing it, the Eyons in the wall will come to life; morph
and roll out off of the ledge to avoid dealing with them. Make your way out
of here and return to the Gathering Hall, then start ascending the platforms
around the room until you reach a section with Blastcaps above you. Rotate
yourself around and Space Jump out to the little platform,then Space Jump
again to reach the top of a grate. Morph and roll off the edge and hang back
to land in front of the door, then head through it into the Energy Core. Head
left when you get into the room and go down the maze of hallways until you
reach a Morph Ball tunnel. Roll on through this and the next one to reach the
door leading to the Burn Dome - the location your computer indicates is the
site of a very strong Hive presence.
MINI-BOSS BATTLE: INCINERATOR DRONE
-----------------------------------
The Incinerator Drone holds the Morph Ball Bomb upgrade, but you need to
go through a pattern of attacking/defending against both the drone and the
new Barbed War Wasps first. Read below for Normal and Hard Mode strategies
for beating this mecha.
[NORMAL MODE]
This battle starts off with the drone shooting two jets of flame. Strafe
side to side and stay in between the two jets. When it stops, a red orb
will appear. Get in front of it and fire until the drone malfunctions and
shoots its flame straight up. The Barbed War Wasps in the hive above get
pretty pissed off that their home is being set aflame, and for some reason
come after you. As they fly out, start picking them off with the Charge
Beam and tractor in any refills. Keep an eye on the Drone though; the flame
jets are now tilted at severe angles that can make it tougher to dodge. The
trick is to avoid the high jet, and jump the low jet. Keep your attention
focused more on the Wasps, but check the Drone every five seconds or so; as
soon as that red orb pops back into view, drop the Wasps like a bad habit
and focus all firepower on the Incinerator Drone. It'll malfunction again,
and the process will start over. After 4 rounds, the Drone will really go
on the fritz and vaporize the entire Hive, then explode.
[HARD MODE]
With this one, not too much changes. The number of rounds is still the same
and the attack pattern doesn't change, but the Barbed War Wasps will be
faster and more aggressive, and you will deal with a few more of them per
round. This battle is still a piece of cake; just keep an eye on the Wasps
and shoot them down to win here.
Once the Incinerator Drone has been beaten, it leaves behind the [MORPH BALL
BOMB] upgrade. Grab it and use one immediately on the weak wall near the back
of the room (where the watery channels go to), then roll to a [MISSILE EXPAN-
SION (015/250)]. Exit the Burn Dome by Bomb Jumping to the high tunnels, then
head to the nearby Stone Toad off to the left. Morph, let it eat you, then
set a Bomb to destroy it, and head into the adjoining room. Bomb Jump into
the Morph Ball Slot and set a Bomb to activate it, then watch as the water
drains from the room. Roll through the small tunnel into the large room.
Quickly roll to the next slot and repeat to raise a set of platforms. Working
against the clock, hop from platform to platform and head inside the alcove
to reach the third Slot. Bomb Jump into it and activate it to raise a final
series of ledges and unlock the door on the upper right side. Enter the door
to make your way into the Furnace. Roll through the Morph Ball Tunnel and
follow it to a second one, where you land in a room containing your first
[ENERGY TANK (01/14)]. Collect it and head back to the Gathering Hall.
As you exit, Space Jump out to the little red orbs on the ledges, then Space
Jump again to the top of that grating you were on top of earlier. This time,
Bomb through the grating to reach a [MISSILE EXPANSION (020/250)], then drop
all the way back down and use the nearby Save Station to save your progress.
Now backtrack through to the Arboretum; to play it safe a bit, you can go and
look for the four runic symbols. If you're skilled with the Triple Bomb Jump,
you can use this trick to climb to the top of the room and bypass the gate.
If you're going for the runic symbol route, start by looking by the tree near
the wooden bridge for the first one. The second one is down near the entrance
to the room, guarded by a patch of red Venom Weed. Scan it and start heading
up through the passages in the walls using Bombs to get through. Watch out
for some War Wasps on your way up, and you'll find the third rune on the wall
during the ascent. Scale your way to the top; once on the wooden bridge,
crane out and around to locate the fourth rune on the tree. With all four
scanned, the gate will roll out of the way, and you can bomb your way into
the Sunchamber Lobby. Avoid the Venom Weed and Reaper Vines and get to the
door at the end; use the crates if you need energy or weapons refills, then
head on through the door into the massive Sunchamber for the first major
boss battle.
BOSS BATTLE: FLAAHGRA
---------------------
This gigantic mutated plant is the source of the Phazon poisoning the Chozo
Ruins, and relies on sunlight for its strength and dexterity. Read below
for Normal and Hard Mode strategies for taking this boss down.
[NORMAL MODE]
There are two schools of thought when it comes to taking out Flaahgra. The
quickest and most advanced method requires the Space Jump, and eliminates
the whole process of disabling solar panels in favor of simply Space Jump-
ing towards the base tunnels where the Morph Ball Bomb slots are, mid-air
morphing and setting a Bomb as you fall. Usually, the resulting explosion
will drop you into the acidic water, but it will be enough to trigger the
Bomb Slot and damage Flaahgra. You needn't worry about the water, as the
cinematic that shows him being damaged resets you back on solid ground.
Repeat this four times for a quick and easy victory.
The other method is the usual route, whereby you disable however many solar
panels Flaahgra has active, and when it's down, you roll to the closest
tunnel and set a Morph Ball Bomb safely in the slot, then repeat for the
remaining tunnels and slots. Flaahgra's thick skin prevents you from damag-
ing it directly, but you can pepper its head with Power Beam shots to stun
it, preventing it from unleashing its assorted attacks on you. The attacks
to watch out for include its poison breath attack, a ramming move where the
head comes down and bats you around, or a thorn vine that will impede your
movement and continuously cause damage if you get stuck in it. As you in-
flict more and more damage, more solar panels will come into play, meaning
Flaahgra gets stronger and faster with each round. It will begin knocking
disabled panels back into place if you don't move fast enough, thus making
the fight longer.
Whatever your chosen method for taking on this boss is, you must finish
four rounds and deliver four Bomb blasts to the root system to bring the
mutant plant down for the count.
[HARD MODE]
Flaahgra may be the first boss that you need to approach differently. For
one thing, its resistance to your attacks has significantly increased - the
Power Beam just doesn't cut it if you're trying to stun the mutant this
time. Secondly, its downtime has decreased, and it will be much more agg-
ressive in knocking back disabled panels. Its attacks will come faster and
more furiously, and sometimes be combinations - for instance, it can ram
you into a thorn vine. If using the quick-kill method, you need not worry
too much, as all you have to do is dodge its attacks while Space Jumping to
the Bomb Slots. With the regular method, you will be constantly disabling
panels, stunning Flaahgra, then moving to another panel, and stunning it
again to get the mutant to collapse. Bear these points in mind and this
battle won't be much harder.
Defeating Flaahgra removes the poison from the waters in the Chozo Ruins, and
reveals the [VARIA SUIT] upgrade. Grab it and leave the Sunchamber via the
door in front of you and proceed through the Suntower Access until you reach
some crates. Destroy these for energy or weapon refills and move on. As you
move on, you'll encounter a new enemy called a Pulse Bombu - you can't damage
it right now and it will wreak havoc with your Visor, so morph and roll past
it for now. Go to the edge here and fall all the way to the bottom of the
Suntower area. There will be multiple War Wasps emerging from the hives, so
make your way out into the Transport room. This one leads down to Magmoor
Caverns, but you won't be taking it just yet. For now, head on to the left
through the door and follow the path through here until you reach the Vault.
Circle around to the back and execute Bomb Jumps to reach the three Morph
Ball Slots. The last one requires a Double Bomb Jump; once you've activated
all three, a gate will rise, allowing you access to the hidden [MISSILE EXP-
ANSION (025/250)]. Continue heading out of this tunnel area to get back out
to the Main Plaza, where you can score another [ENERGY TANK (02/14)] along
the way. Drop down and race across the Plaza area to return to Tallon Over-
world.
: =TALLON OVERWORLD= :
As you reenter this area, head through Tallon Canyon, and Space Jump to the
platforms on the upper level. Follow the Zoomer and Geemer around to a door
leading into Transport Tunnel B. Run down here, dropping into the slight pit
halfway down to grab the [MISSILE EXPANSION (030/250)], then hop back up and
continue on into the Root Cave. Here, fall all the way down to the bottom,
avoid the Beetles that pop up, and head into the door and down the hallway to
reach the transport leading down to another area of Magmoor Caverns.
8C. MAGMOOR CAVERNS -> PHENDRANA DRIFTS
---------------------------------------
This section details the third part of this speed run, which is a short jaunt
through Magmoor Caverns into Phendrana Drifts for a few more upgrades.
: =MAGMOOR CAVERNS= :
As you emerge into Magmoor Caverns from Tallon Overworld, you'll be greeted
by a not-so-nice Magmoor. Take the time to eliminate it with a couple of
charged shots to the head, then roll yourself along the metallic track and
take the door into Fiery Shores. Head through the flame jets that spout down
from the ceiling, then stop when you come to the lava lake. Turn to your left
and blast the crates there, then start heading up the short platforms, using
Bombs to lift yourself up. At the top, roll along the very precarious catwalk
network to reach the [MISSILE EXPANSION (035/250)] at the end, then drop down
and head into Monitor Station. Arm yourself near the door as the Auto Defense
Turrets are itching to blow you away, and take them out systematically. When
all three have been destroyed, head up the bridge and jump to the rock form-
ation on the other side. Aim up until you locate a fourth Defense Turret, and
blast it out of the sky. Head up the rock ledges, then Space Jump across the
expanse to reach the metal catwalk, and head along the final catwalk into
Transport Tunnel A. Here, use a Double Bomb Jump near the entrance (over the
first metallic block) to boost yourself up to another area, the repeat a sec-
ond Double Bomb Jump to grab the [ENERGY TANK (03/14)] hidden at the top.
Once you've gotten the Tank, drop down and continue right to reach the Trans-
port leading to the frozen Phendrana Drifts.
: =PHENDRANA DRIFTS= :
As you enter the icy world of Phendrana Drifts, you'll have to use your Miss-
iles to blast through some ice structures. Beyond here lies the Phendrana
Shorelines. As you proceed to where the save station is, you'll come across a
metal gate on a building. Blast the gate with a Missile and scan the panel at
the very back to unlock a door above you. Go to the right, past the Save
Station and look for a series of ledges leading up and over. Jump up and go
across them to reach a door. Take the door and proceed through the access
tunnel into Ice Ruins East, avoiding the Scatter Bombus along the way. As you
enter Ice Ruins East, two nasty Baby Sheegoths will come out to play. These
little creatures are not to be taken lightly, but if you're quick, you can
Space Jump over or around them. Either kill them or dodge them, and head up
the ledge to the right. Follow it to the left and you'll enter a door leading
to the Plaza Walkway. Inside this long cave you'll find a bunch of little Ice
Burrowers, which are merely icy versions of the Magmoor Burrowers. Roll past
them back out to Phendrana Shorelines, then head left to the door that leads
to Ice Ruins West. Once there, run and Space Jump past two more Baby Shee-
goths to reach a passage leading down and to the right. Go through the door
to reach Phendrana Canyon. Out in this open area, drop down and Space Jump
off the ledge to the ice slope in the distance. Ascend it and scan the con-
sole to align a set of platforms leading off into the distance. Hop over them
quickly as they collapse under your weight, and go until you reach the alcove
containing the [BOOST BALL] upgrade at the end. Drop back down into the large
sloped canyon and use the new upgrade to boost yourself out of the half-pipe
and back onto solid ground. Take the high road back to the door and exit out
of here, retracing your steps back to Phendrana Shorelines.
After the short sequence with Meta Ridley, drop back down and start heading
back up the ledges as if you were going to Ice Ruins East. Stop about halfway
up and look for the nearby floating platforms leading to the Chozo Ice Temple
area. Use the Space Jump to reach the ledges so you can cross to the Ice Tem-
ple. As you reach the others side and enter the door, morph and roll past all
of the Bombus in this short hallway. In the next room, you'll square off
against a Baby Sheegoth, and the close quarters makes combat a bit tough.
Strafe around the best you can to defeat it and move on. There are a few led-
ges at the end, so start climbing and pick off the enemies as you come across
them. On your ascent, you'll start encountering some Ice Parasites, frosty
versions of normal Parasites. Move past them and keep ascending the ledges.
Once you reach the top, you'll find a gate blocking a door. Go back a little
ways and start scanning the walls until you find the bust of a Chozo Shaman.
(If you're facing the giant iced statue, it's the first one on your right.)
Destroy the bust with a Missile so you can Bomb Jump into the Morph Ball slot
behind it. Activate the slot with a Bomb to open the gate. Go inside and
morph to get through the next section, which involves bombing stone columns
out of your path. Once you've successfully cleared the path, head on into the
Chapel of the Elders, where you'll have to fight a two-part mini-boss fight
to claim the strange upgrade that just got pulled into the floor. Four Baby
Sheegoths will attack from the corners of the room, but thankfully you'll
only face two at a time. Lock on to one of them and start strafing around
while pounding its shell with the Power Beam. When you destroy one, another
one enters, so keep picking them off until you've killed the whole quartet,
and get ready for the larger, meaner version...
MINI-BOSS BATTLE: SHEEGOTH
--------------------------
Momma isn't too happy that you just killed her precious babies... This
fight can be a bit tough at this stage of the game. Read below for Normal
and Hard Mode strategies for taking this mini-boss down.
[NORMAL MODE]
The first thing you need to know is that the Sheegoth is invulnerable to
your current Beam weapons. The ice crystals on her back will absorb energy,
converting it into some other kind of energy which the Sheegoth spits right
back at you. Start off by morphing into ball form and roll around to the
Sheegoth's tail end. You'll want to stay near the back and set off Morph
Ball Bombs one after another so as to damage the Sheegoth quickly. Make
sure that you roll in a orderly fashion with the Sheegoth so that the mini-
boss never has any chances to use any of her more devastating attacks (such
as ramming or freezing you). Should you get frozen, Bomb yourself out of
the ice trap as fast as you can, otherwise the resulting ramming attack
will do some major damage. Somewhere between 10 and 20 Morph Ball Bomb det-
onations will bring the mother Sheegoth down.
[HARD MODE]
Double up the damage from the last fight, and expect the Sheegoth to be
harder to avoid. Combination attacks seem to work better in Hard Mode, so
if you find yourself having trouble setting Morph Ball Bombs, use a couple
of Missiles and alternate between the two attacks. It takes about 30 Bombs
or 34 Missiles to defeat the Hard Mode version of this mini-boss.
Defeating the Sheegoth reveals the [WAVE BEAM] from the pedestal in the cen-
ter of the room. Use your new Beam to exit this room and backtrack out of the
Chozo Ice Temple, and return the way you came back to Magmoor Caverns.
: =MAGMOOR CAVERNS =:
Reenter Magmoor Caverns and head back out into Monitor Station. Eliminate the
few enemies around you and then either drop straight down or head down the
platforms; either way you want to get to the other entrance to this room
(which is on your left as you enter this room). However you do it, head on
through Monitor Tunnel into the massive Triclops Pit. There's a Missile Exp-
ansion in here, but it's far on the other side, and you must first cross the
platforms filled with Puffers to get there. Take out the Puffers and reach
solid ground. Pan around and look for the crates off to the left. This part
gets really tricky, and only comes with practice, so bear with me. From the
crates, face directly ahead, and stand on the very edge of the rock. Space
Jump out and you should hit the first invisible platform. Keep leaping up so
the ledge doesn't sink, and turn to your left 45 degrees to see the rock
pillar. There's a short piece sticking out, Space Jump out and around this
part to land on the second ledge. The third one is another 45 degrees to your
left, so rotate and Space Jump out, then fire a Missile at the pillar that's
in front of you, and Space Jump again to land and grab the [MISSILE EXPANSION
(040/250)].
Fall down and head back around to the starting area, looking for a hole in
the wall that's glowing red. Head through this small area and use the Morph
Ball to enter the tiny tunnel leading into the area under the metal grated
floor. Here, roll your way around to the right until you reach another Morph
Ball tunnel. Take it and head into the Storage Cavern to find a [MISSILE EXP-
ANSION (045/250)] tucked away near the back. Exit here and out of the Tri-
clops Pit, and continue your trek into the Pit Tunnel. Space Jump over the
gate in this room and exit out to the Lava Lake. Space Jump around the plat-
forms and Puffers to reach the other side, then bomb your way through the
wall to reach another side of Lava Lake. This room is also stocked with Puf-
fers and a couple of Magmoors. Travel along the platforms to reach the solid
ground, then fire two Missiles at the pillar nearest your location and Space
Jump to get the [ARTIFACT OF NATURE (01/12)] from the broken pillar. Leave
this room and head through the next door to reach Lake Tunnel and Burning
Trail. Stop to break the Blast Shield on a door on your right and head in to
save your game. Exit out and keep heading through the area until you reach
a vertical section. Ride the elevator platforms up until you can Space Jump
to a rocky outcropping. Head through the door to reach a Transport that leads
back to the Sun Tower of Chozo Ruins.
8D. CHOZO RUINS REVISITED
-------------------------
This section details the fourth part of this speed run, which is a short re-
turn to the Chozo Ruins for some more out-of-sequence item gathering.
: =CHOZO RUINS= :
You'll reenter Chozo Ruins via the Sun Tower. Proceed directly ahead and
through the Morph Ball segments down into Transport Access North to claim
another [ENERGY TANK (04/14)], then go through the door in front of you to
claim another [MISSILE EXPANSION (050/250)]. This is actually the "original"
one that you're supposed to get first during the mini-boss fight with the
Hive Mecha. Now, without crossing the bridge (doing so will trigger the mini-
boss battle), Space Jump to the right towards the door leading out of the
Hive Totem. Head on out through Totem Access into the Ruined Gallery. Deal
with the War Wasps here, then drop down and fire a Missile at the cracked
wall near the back to reveal a [MISSILE EXPANSION (055/250)], then head to
the other side of the room, and Bomb Jump into a small passage that winds
around to another [MISSILE EXPANSION (060/250)]. Exit this room and continue
on to the Ruined Nursery. Again, deal with some War Wasps, then use Bombs to
work your way through the wall channel to claim another [MISSILE EXPANSION
(065/250)]. Eventually you'll work your way back to the Main Plaza; start
ascending the platforms in the back heading through the Gathering Hall to the
Energy Core, near where you battled the Incinerator Drone. Once you get to
the Energy Core, hop along the ledges to reach the door in the far right
corner. You got your first Energy Tank here, but this time, position yourself
near the Magnetic Rail track. Press into it until the track seems to vibrate,
and execute the Track Jump speed trick so you can step up some invisible
platforms and reach the top of the track. If you can't do this, you can also
use a TBJ to reach this. Once at the top, hold R while rotating towards the
tunnel, and morph while pressing forward to roll into it. Use the Boost Ball
if you need a bit of a push and you should make it past the lip. Carefully
Boost across the disappearing blocks and quickly Bomb Jump over the obstruc-
tion back to solid ground, where you can then safely continue on into the
Furnace.
As you enter, Beetles will pop out of the ground; ignore them and head to the
left through the Morph Ball tunnel. From here, go into the Crossway and use
the Boost Ball to roll yourself out of the half-pipe and head through the
door at the other end, following the path into the Hall of the Elders. As you
enter, the room will darken, and you'll trigger another mini-boss fight that
will continue to occur throughout the game. Fortunately at this point, you
only have to fight one of them.
MINI-BOSS BATTLE: CHOZO GHOST
-----------------------------
The Chozo Ghost(s) can be tough, especially in a pack, but if you have the
right weaponry and upgrades they become a piece of cake. Read below for
Normal and Hard Mode strategies for taking these mini-bosses down.
[NORMAL MODE]
The catch in this fight is that the Chozo Ghosts aren't always visible.
Later in the game, you can track them easily with the X-Ray Visor, but for
now you have to tough it out. You can only damage them with the Power Beam,
and to take them out easily, listen for the sound effects. The Ghosts will
make sounds (kind of like a whooshing sound) before they launch an attack.
If you hear this, quickly look around and dodge any pulse attack that flies
at you. This attack is similar to a Pulse or Wave Bombu in that it scram-
bles your radar and Visor. Whenever you have the opportunity to lock onto a
Ghost, shoot it repeatedly with charged Power Beam shots to reduce the
amount of time this takes. The best method is to tuck yourself into a cor-
ner and fire away whenever the opportunity presents itself. Once you have
the Super Missile and the X-Ray Visor, these become little more than a mild
nuisance.
[HARD MODE]
The Chozo Ghosts are more powerful and quite a bit faster on the draw - you
want to constantly scan around to see if one is loitering around you. If
so, pepper it with some Power Beam shots to distract it, and fire a charged
blast only if you have the time and room to charge one up. The Chozo Ghosts
don't do a lot more damage, but in Hard, they tend to attack in tandem,
meaning all three will launch attacks at you at the same time, and that can
really put a drain on your resources. Just keep listening for that charac-
teristic sound effect and you shouldn't have too many problems.
After the Ghost has been put down, Space Jump back up to the small walkway
where you came in from, and turn around facing the wall way from the Elder
Statue. Look at the large reflector on the back wall and look at the small
peg poking out of it. Use the R button to settle your reticle over that peg,
then release R and make a leap of faith. By Space Jumping with the correct
timing, you will land on this little peg. Now be careful; you have to Space
Jump again to the ledge above you, but there's a low ceiling that can impede
you. Pan around with your camera to see where the ceiling is, then Space Jump
up to the ledge and activate the Morph Ball slot. This in turn enables three
more colored Morph Ball slots. Go to the purple one and shoot it with the
Wave Beam to activate it, then Bomb Jump into the slot and trigger it with
another Morph Ball Bomb. This activates the Elder Statue below you, so drop
to it and morph into its palm. Let it throw you into a secret tunnel high
above you, then scan the console to deactivate the forcefield. Continue on
through the next door into the Reflecting Pool and drop into the water. Go
to the bottom and use a Bomb to blast apart the Talloric Alloy covering the
drain and let all of the water go away. Now that you have a usable half-pipe,
use the Boost Ball to launch yourself to the upper level (try to get eaten by
a Stone Toad up top; it guarantees you'll land on the upper ledges). Now
enter the western door to reach the Antechamber, where you'll acquire the
potent [ICE BEAM] upgrade! Leave the Antechamber and Space Jump across the
room to the other side where you can reach a Save Station. Go ahead and use
it to save your progress, then Bomb Jump into the Morph Ball tunnel that
leads to a Transport to Tallon Overworld.
: =TALLON OVERWORLD= :
As you head back into Tallon Overworld, you'll pass through the Overgrown
Cavern where there's a [MISSILE EXPANSION (070/250)] right in front of you
amongst the Venom Weed. Boost to grab it and avoid damage, then exit this
tunnel to emerge in the area where the Space Pirate Frigate crashed after the
introductory sequence. Just as quickly, two new Flying Pirates will attack
you - make this fight easy by first freezing them with the Ice Beam, then use
a Missile to shatter them. Once the first two are taken care of, jump down
into the water and make your way across to the other side. Two more Flying
Pirates are sitting near the water, eating lunch or something... Ignore them
and make a run for the door at the back. Follow the path through the next
tunnel to return to the Landing Site. Ignore your Ship and roll into the
passage behind it. Boost through the Tangle Weed to find yet another [MISSILE
EXPANSION (075/250)], then return to Tallon Canyon and utilize the entrance
to the Root Cave to return to Magmoor Caverns.
: =MAGMOOR CAVERNS= :
From the transport, work your way back to Monitor Station, then climb the
platforms to reach the entrance to Transport Tunnel A. Take this path back
through the tunnel to return to Phendrana Drifts.
8E. PHENDRANA DRIFTS REVISITED
------------------------------
This section details the fifth part of this speed run, which covers your ex-
ploration of a larger part of Phendrana Drifts including the Hydra Research
Facility as well as more ferrying back and forth for item-gathering.
: =PHENDRANA DRIFTS= :
As you reenter the icy Phendrana Drifts, you need to backtrack all the way to
Ice Ruins West (using the same exact path you took earlier). Use the path
taken to the Boost Ball if you have troubles. Once you reach Ice Ruins West,
hop to the right and into the small structure then use the Space Jump to
reach the higher ledges. Once at the top, shoot the Stalactite hanging from
the ceiling down with a Missile, then use it as a platform to reach another
set of rooftop areas. Head across the rooftops, shooting down the Ice Shriek-
bats as they fly towards you, then Space Jump across the gap and head to the
purple door leading into the Ruined Courtyard. In here, hop along the solid
ledges until you reach the first Spinner. Morph into it and activate it, then
do the same for the second one farther along the path. Now jump up the ice
ledges to the Morph Ball slot above you, activate it, and head back across
the area to reach the Morph Ball tunnel leading to the [ENERGY TANK (05/14)],
then head back across. Reactivate the slot, then start climbing up around the
central tower. At the top, Space Jump across the gap and head into the Pirate
Research Labs.
A Shadow Pirate will immediately attack you; take it out with the Wave Beam
and proceed on into the Research Entrance. Just inside, you'll be able to see
a lone Auto Defense Turret high in the ceiling. Take aim and destroy it so
you don't have it blasting at you during the upcoming Space Pirate battle.
Move on a little ways more and a short cinema will take over where a Sentry
Drone alerts a group of Pirates to your intrusion. Stay near the door and
engage the Space Pirates from a safe distance to make it easier for you to
hit them (Pirates often just go all out and attack melee-style, so you almost
never have to worry about them lurking about behind any corners). Use charged
Wave Beam shots from afar, and Missiles if they start getting too close.
After you defeat all five, move on through the area, and head up the ramps
leading to the upper level.
Continue through the Hydra Lab Entryway (taking out the multiple Scatter
Bombus along the way) into Research Lab Hydra. Scan the console nearby to
deactivate the forcefield, then get ready for a brief Pirate attack. Elimi-
nate them and head for the entrance to Observatory Access near the rear of
this area. The entrance is in the ceiling, so jump up and right into a hail
of fire from three Defense Turrets. Seek cover behind the crates for the
first one, then use the walls to avoid the second and third ones. Once you
enter the Observatory, five more Space Pirates will attack you; take cover
near the entrance and pick them off one by one. After they're eliminated,
head across to the bank of consoles near the back and scan the central term-
inal to initialize the holo sequencer. Two Morph Ball Slots will appear; one
is right on the platform to your left, and the other is to your right, a bit
higher up on the next ledge. Activate each with a Bomb, then drop down to the
floor and use each of the four Spinners to lock the panels into place. Once
the last panel is online and active, the sequence will be complete and you
will see a massive three-dimensional rotating display above you of the surr-
ounding solar system. Now work on leaping up the platforms lining the walls
to reach the center one where the [SUPER MISSILE CHARGE COMBO] sits. Grab it
and head through the next door into the West Tower. Ride the elevator up and
out into the Control Tower, and eliminate the Flying Pirates as they attack
from above. Use Super Missiles on them to kill them faster, then head down
into the East Tower once they've been taken down. Ride the elevator down into
Research Lab Aether, and head straight in front of you to find the first Met-
roid of the game. Move up close while charging up your Power Beam, and let it
eat a Super Missile when it breaks out of containment. Move a little way for-
ward to cause a Space Pirate to break through the glass wall and take him
out, then drop down into the main research bay. Eliminate the Pirates as you
go along, and get to the lower level where you can shoot a stasis tube for
another [ENERGY TANK (06/14)]. Now head back up the ramp and Space Jump to
the ledge above you, and roll along the narrow catwalk to reach the [MISSILE
EXPANSION (080/250)].
Leave Research Lab Aether through the door in the floor into Research Core
Access. You'll immediately be attacked by Ice Beetles in here; simply run
past them and head into the Research Core. Quickly take aim at the Space Pir-
ate hiding out on the other side of the room, then use the Ice Beam + Missile
combo on the following two Flying Pirates. After they're gone, scan the con-
soles on this level to deactivate the first circuit control for the stasis
tank, then start heading down the ramps. Near the bottom are two Auto Defense
Turrets; try and take them out from one of the upper levels. You'll find two
more circuit switches on the two lowest levels; scan them to completely shut
down the forcefield and claim the [THERMAL VISOR] upgrade. As soon as the
cinema is done, don't waste any time with the Shadow Pirates and exit through
the white door at the bottom to reach the other side of the Phendrana Drifts.
This first open area is called Frozen Pike.
Go to the edge and Space Jump all the way out. You will most likely land at
the bottom; in this case, climb the gnarled roots and Space Jump through the
hole in the wall to reach a platform leading to a purple door. Go through the
door to reach Frost Cave Access, where you'll roll through a long tunnel. At
the end, a few Ice Beetles and Ice Scarabs will attack in some very close
quarters, so deal with them as quickly as you can. The door at the end leads
into Frost Cave, where you'll encounter a lone Hunter Metroid. Freeze it with
the Ice Beam and shatter it with a Missile, then look at the ceiling and
shoot down the stalactites you can see. Space Jump out and trek up the rock
spires to reach a purple door on the left (there is a Save Station here if
you really want to save) to reach Phendrana's Edge. Once inside, ignore the
two Flying Pirates and drop to the bottom of the area. Underwater, you'll
battle it out with some Jelzaps; wait until they open up to blast them with a
charged shot. Find the underwater door leading into Hunter Cave, where you
must target three more stalactites to use as platforms. There are a few
Flickerbats zooming around that can make life difficult, but if you time your
moves right, they won't bother you too much. Take the next door into Lake
Tunnel, and follow it directly into the Gravity Chamber. Head out a little
ways, drop down and wind your way around the staircase, then lock onto the
orange symbol in the distance. Thread your way through the Aqua Reapers and
wind your way around the path to reach the [GRAVITY SUIT] upgrade. From your
perch, head to the right and up the ramp that leads out of the underwater
section. Climb up the ledges to the upper door, then take on the Sentry Drone
in the next hallway. As you reenter Hunter Cave, run along the right-hand
wall, ignoring the Flying Pirates, and head back into Frozen Pike. Climb up
the ledges leading around the room and navigate the short Morph Ball maze to
reach the Wave Beam door at the very top of the room. Proceed past the Pulse
Bombu and make note of the Energy Tank frozen in the ice, then roll out of
the little hole into the room with the Transport, and head down to Magmoor
Caverns.
: =MAGMOOR CAVERNS= :
As you reenter Magmoor Caverns, you'll enter by way of Magmoor Workstation.
For now, ignore the Flying Pirates and simply drop down and head to the back-
left area, through the purple door and into South Core Tunnel. Quickly shoot
the Puddle Spore to flip it, then Space Jump across the lava and continue on
through the next room until you reach the spacious Geothermal Core. Here,
leap across the Puddle Spores and platforms in the middle of the room, then
take a look to the right of the blue door. There is a small rock here; jump
on it and spin to the left. Look for the metallic box and Space Jump so you
land on the little outcropping. Now rotate yourself so you're facing the disc
platforms, and lock your view all the way down. From here, make a short hop
to a tiny rock spire directly in front of you, then Space Jump out and land
on the first disc platform. Activate the Spinner to raise the first platform,
then Space Jump to the second, and so forth until you reach and activate the
third one. Now position yourself in front of the Magnetic Rail, and Space
Jump directly up. You'll see that the rail curves slightly inward, so you can
stand on part of it. Land in the middle and turn around so your back is to
the wall. Now, lock your view as far up as it can go, hold back on the Con-
trol Stick, Space Jump up and crank forward on the Stick. It may take a few
tries to get the timing right, but it essentially wedges you in place, and as
is common with the game's dynamics, getting wedged someplace often pushes you
straight up; thus you'll be shoved up above the disc, and by holding forward,
you'll accomplish the same task you would if you had the Spider Ball. Now
Space Jump to the final disc and set a Bomb in the slot to trigger the ceil-
ing to raise up. A white door is revealed along with a huge Spider Ball maze.
The next part involves a bit of tricky maneuvering since you don't yet have
the Spider Ball, so pay attention.
First off, Space Jump so you land atop the pipe that sticks out of the wall.
Move carefully along it so you don't fall off, then lock your view down and
to the left. You'll see a thin metallic strip lining the circumference of the
room; Space Jump and hold right on the Control Stick to land on this metal
strip, then inch your way along it while continuing to hold L so as to stay
locked in place until you can look up and see three Magnetic Rail cubes above
you. Back up a bit until you can lock your view to the upper-right; you will
see part of a bulb sticking out of the first Rail cube. This next jump is
affectionately referred to as a "Ghetto Jump", in which you jump towards a
solid surface, and then jump away. This peculiar trick seems to get you a bit
more height when you're against a wall for some reason. Execute this jump,
and if done just right, you'll balance on top of the small bulb. Now that the
hard part is done, lock your view as you rotate, and Space Jump up past the
two remaining cubes until you land in front of the white door. Head into
Plasma Processing and Space Jump to the platform in the middle where the pow-
erful [PLASMA BEAM] upgrade sits. Return to the Geothermal Core and work your
way back to Magmoor Workstation. This time, toast the three Flying Pirates,
and look along the bottom of the room for three lava channels. Run up to them
and use the Wave Beam to activate the Power Conduits, and one-by-one, navi-
gate the cooled channels to reach the [ENERGY TANK (07/14)] behind the purple
gate. Now ascend the ledges at the back of the room to return to the Trans-
port room. Take a moment to save your game using the Save Station in this
room, then use the Transport to return to the Phendrana Drifts.
: =PHENDRANA DRIFTS= :
After leaving the transport, head forward and Boost through the Quarantine
Tunnels to reach the purple door at the end. Head into the Quarantine Cave
from the opposite side and quickly circle around to trigger the next boss
fight.
BOSS BATTLE: THARDUS
--------------------
This gigantic ice and stone guardian is powered by Phazon Cores. The cores
are what you need to actually damage in order to break this boss apart.
Read below for Normal and Hard Mode strategies for defeating this boss.
[NORMAL MODE]
With the standard complement of weapons, Thardus can be a bit of a tough
boss fight. With your new Plasma Beam, this battle is something of a joke.
Thardus has quite a few attacks you'll want to watch out for. The first one
is its Ice Wave; you know this is coming when it throws its arms to the
rear. You can simply sidestep this one, as its pretty simple to dodge. Its
second one is to hurl rocks at you; let go of L to target the rocks and
blast them with the Plasma Beam, then resume your lock on Thardus. Its last
(and most lethal) attack is to curl into a boulder and attempt to roll over
you. Ironically, you'll turn this attack into a faster method of taking it
down. Thardus has seven Phazon Cores on its body that are covered with big
chunks of rock - you need to eliminate the rock first and then directly
attack the Phazon Cores. Switch to the Thermal Visor first and lock onto
one of the orange points, then blast away with the charged Plasma Beam un-
til it breaks and overloads your Visor. Switch back to the Combat Visor and
unload on the Phazon Core until it explodes. The battle will proceed like
this in various forms until all seven have been destroyed. If you see Thar-
dus curl into ball, assume Morph Ball form and wait. When Thardus is almost
upon you, set three Morph Ball Bombs and Boost out of the way. The blasts
will usually destroy another chunk of rock, giving you another Phazon Core
to fire at. After three Cores have been destroyed, Thardus will create a
powerful snowstorm that reduces your visibility with the Combat Visor.
Continue attacking until another three are down, and the snowstorm will
stop, but Thardus will take to chucking continous rocks at you. Eliminate
the seventh and final Core to defeat this boss for good.
[HARD MODE]
Thardus is harder to damage in this version, but Morph Ball Bombs still
tend to break apart its rocky armor when its in ball form. Keep pounding
away with the Plasma Beam, and expect Thardus to be a bit more aggressive
in its attacks. You still have to only go seven rounds, but the Phazon Core
areas will take a bit more firepower. Thardus is still incredibly weak to
the Plasma Beam, so there isn't much of a difference.
Thardus' destruction leaves behind the [SPIDER BALL] upgrade. Grab it and use
it to attach to the Magnetic Rail that goes around the circumference of the
room. Take it to the door leading out of Quarantine Cave, and go back through
the tunnels to reach the Transport room. Go behind the transport itself and
use the Magnetic Rail track to go upwards to reach another door. Go out into
Transport Access and melt the frozen ice to grab the [ENERGY TANK (08/14)]
that you saw earlier, then head into Frozen Pike and continue on until you
reach Frost Cave again. Here, stand on the very edge of the area, and look
out a bit to your left. You should barely see a few pieces of rock sticking
out. Carefully Space Jump while locking your view down so you can land on
them, then L-Lock Space Jump again to your left to catch the ledges leading
up to that crate. Now aim for the stalactite, shoot it down into the water,
and drop down to collect the [MISSILE EXPANSION (085/250)] underneath the
water, then continue back into Phendrana's Edge. More tricky Space Jump man-
euvering is ahead, so pay close attention.
In this large area, move to the root bridge by the purple door in the approx-
imate center of the room. Look at it closely and stand on the part that
sticks out the most from the actual bridge. Once on the edge, look out ahead
of you to see another root section that branches ever so slightly (this one
is to the right of the purple door below you). Space Jump out to this tree,
and try land on the "V" of the branch. If you hit the wall, that's fine, be-
cause you'll probably slide down to the split anyhow. If you landed on the
tree just right, turn around and lock yourself onto the tree until you appear
to be looking at a black hole in front of you. Lock your view and "walk"
yourself up the tree you're on by moving the Control Stick very gently until
you get to the top. Now look upwards and spin around until you see a ledge
above you. Space Jump to this ledge, and start working your way up the re-
maining ledges in the room. At the top where you'd normally swing from the
Glider, you should look to the right-hand wall for two snowy ledges. Space
Jump to one that Samus can aim at from up high, then Space Jump to the second
one, and just like that, you've eliminated using the Grapple Beam for this
part. Morph and roll into the Security Cave to claim an early [POWER BOMB
EXPANSION (1/8), then work your way back down the way you came up back to the
ledge you originally started Space Jumping from (above the tree). Use a Power
Bomb to blow apart the ice, the go through the red door to retrieve the [ART-
IFACT OF SPIRIT (02/12)]. Now backtrack to the Transport room and return to
Magmoor Caverns. Use the nearby Save Station to save your progress first.
: =MAGMOOR CAVERNS= :
Head back to Magmoor Workstation, dispatch the Flying Pirates, and head
across the massive room to the ledges in the distance. Take the door here
into the access tunnel and use your Power Bomb to blow apart the Bendezium
that blocks your path, then use the Transport to go down to the Phazon Mines.
8F. PHAZON MINES
----------------
This section details the sixth part of this speed run, which includes a very
short run through the deadly Phazon Mines back into Tallon Overworld. This is
a very out-of-sequence trip.
: =PHAZON MINES= :
As you enter, you'll immediately be confronted with a Phazon-laced tunnel. As
you would normally be traversing this area with the Phazon Suit, you'll take
damage here and lots of it, too. Quickly run through the tunnel and into the
Phazon Processing Center. Fortunately, the Troopers and Auto Defense Turrets
are mysteriously absent at this point . It seems that the trigger for them to
appear involves you entering the Mines through the 'normal' access point. In
fact, entering the Mines backwards causes quite a few things to be out of
place or not there at all. Drop down to reach the middle deck and take out
the two regular Space Pirates, then head through the door to reach the second
floor of the Phazon Mines. Head on through the Maintenance Tunnel and use
your Power Bomb to clear the Bendezium from your path, and exit the tunnel
out into Elite Control. There's an Elite Pirate in this room, but, like the
Thardus battle, you must move around to the other side (where you would nor-
mally enter) in order to trigger the fight. Do so, and have your Super Miss-
iles at the ready.
MINI-BOSS BATTLE: ELITE PIRATE
------------------------------
There are three of these mini-bosses total in the Phazon Mines. For future
encounters, utilize the same strategy to put them down. Read below for Nor-
mal and Hard Mode strategies for defeating these.
[NORMAL MODE]
This huge hulking mutated Space Pirate is actually a lot easier than he
looks. The only things that make him a potential menace are the Plasma Art-
illery Cannons and his ability to absorb Beam weapons and use them to fuel
his aforementioned Cannons. When the fight starts, lock on, but don't fire.
Constantly back up while you charge the Power Beam so that your fire won't
get absorbed. After the Elite gets upset that you are refusing to give him
fuel for his Artillery Cannons, he'll slam the ground and create a powerful
Wave Quake. Space Jump over it while letting a Super Missile hit him square
in the head. Repeat once more to bring the hulking giant down.
[HARD MODE]
In Hard Mode, the Elites are a bit tougher, but that is all. Just keep in
mind that it will take 4 Super Missiles to bring the Hard Mode incarnations
down. The Elite Pirates this time around will also spent a lot more time
with their absorption weapon active, so you'll have to spend more time
circling the room and keep your fingers at the ready to fire Super Missiles
when they let their guard down.
Once the Elite has been put down, you can start heading up the ramps in the
rear of the room. Be careful, a trio of Ice Troopers guard the upstairs, so
have your Ice Beam ready to counter them. Freeze them with a charged shot,
then fire a Missile to shatter them, then head all the way up top and exit
through the door in the ceiling to reach the Ventilation Shaft. Quickly roll
down the tunnel and use your Power Bomb (provided you refilled it) to blow
apart the grating near the back and shut off the poison gas vents. Once the
gas is cleared, head out and grab the [ENERGY TANK (09/14)], then head on
into Omega Research, where you'll have to deal with two pesky Wave Troopers
on the top level. Take them out with charged Wave pulses, then stand near the
edge and try to eliminate some of the Power Troopers that are standing guard
(use Super Missiles to take them out more effectively). Then just leap to the
bottom and make a mad dash for the door in the left-hand corner and drop
through it into the Dynamo Access. Move forward a bit, and another Elite Pir-
ate will drop down to fight. Eliminate this one as you did the last one, then
head on into the Central Dynamo. Arm the Wave Beam as you head down, as
you'll immediately fight another mini-boss.
MINI-BOSS BATTLE: SHADOW DRONE
------------------------------
This is something of an irritating fight, since you can neither see nor
lock onto the drone, so you'll be aiming manually. Read below for Normal
and Hard Mode strategies for eliminating this mini-boss.
[NORMAL MODE]
Play this one safe and don't drop down into the Dynamo. Instead, you should
stick to the upper levels and aim manually while looking for the flashing
lights, which means its firing at you. Take cover while you return fire with
charged Wave Beam pulses, and move only if you're getting hit by its hail
of fire. Around 4-5 charged blasts should send it spiraling to the ground.
[HARD MODE]
Not much different, except the Drone takes more damage and attacks faster.
Just keep nailing it before it nails you is really the best advice.
Once the Drone has been eliminated, it'll set off a maze of electricity in
the center of the room. At the center of this maze lies the main Power Bomb
upgrade, but you'll have to navigate the maze first. Start off by rolling
through the open areas, and time your movements to go through the flickering
sections. As you reach a pool of green liquid, roll into it and set a Bomb to
create a splash that shorts out a few electric walls, effectively opening up
new paths for you. Continue doing so until you finally reach the primary
[POWER BOMB (5/8)] upgrade. The following animation will get you out of the
maze, and the doors will be unlocked. Exit out of the Central Dynamo and head
back through Omega Research all the way back to Elite Control, where you
first entered the Mines. Now, head through the opposite door and head through
the Elite Access tunnel back out into Elevator A. Use the Spider Ball to ride
up the Magnetic Rail track, not worrying too much about the Bombus here. Get
up top and head into Ore Processing. At this point, the game starts to get a
bit... different.
Ordinarily (and by that, I mean if you were playing the 'normal' route), you
would encounter a couple of Beam Troopers because you would have encountered
all of the varieties at this point. Coming in the back way, though, omits the
normal "encounter" scenes, so a lot of it is sheer randomness. I've, on a few
different occasions, fought Power Troopers, normal Pirates, or even Metroids
(which was really weird) while going through here. Work with whatever cards
you're dealt here, and drop to the bottom of the room. Bomb Jump into the
Morph Ball Slot and set off a single Bomb. Exit and use the blue Magnetic Rail
to reach a balcony and the next control panel. Set off two Bombs in the second
one to align the middle section, then drop back down and set off three Bombs
in the bottom one to complete the alignment sequence. Roll up the red Magnetic
Rail to reach the third floor, then Space Jump over to the ledge on the other
side. Use a Power Bomb to destroy the Bendezium, then morph into the control
panel and set two Bombs to continue realigning the rail tracks. Bomb yourself
out and now drop to the second floor, where you have to detonate three Bombs
in the slot, then finally drop to the bottom floor and set a single Bomb in
the slot to align the yellow Rail. Now that the path is complete, you can roll
up the yellow Magnetic Rail all the way to the top. Fall off the rail at the
end and enter Storage Depot B where the [GRAPPLE BEAM] upgrade awaits. Exit
this room and use your new toy to swing across the room and into the Waste
Disposal area.
Enter the Morph Ball tunnel and use your Bombs to maneuver yourself around
this passage. Navigating this successfully deposits you in the Main Quarry,
so just leap down, take out the few Space Pirates on the ground, and ascend
the ledges and catwalks at the back. Watch out for the Mega Turrets if you
didn't eliminate them already, and once you're on the upper level, use the
Thermal Visor to find a Power Conduit, activate it with the Wave Beam, then
use the Morph Ball to reach the control booth. Upon activating the crane,
it'll swing and crash into a wall. Head out of the control booth and use the
nearby Magnetic Rail to roll to the crane; carefully drop off the track and
Bomb Jump up to the [MISSILE EXPANSION (090/250)], then turn tail and run out
through the actual main entrance of the Phazon Mines and use the Transport to
get back to Tallon Overworld.
: =TALLON OVERWORLD= :
Once in here, return to the Great Tree Hall and start working your way up the
ledges, destroying all the Bloodflowers and Seedlings. Head up to the Spinner
device and activate it to clear the bars away, then head up and defeat some
more native life, and get to the white door in the distance. Here, follow
this tunnel until you reach the Transport leading to Chozo Ruins.
: =CHOZO RUINS= :
Go straight ahead to reach the Reflecting Pool. Drop down and head through
the Access chamber into the Hall of the Elders. Engage three Chozo Ghosts
here, then when they have been defeated, make your way back up to the ledge
with the colored Morph Ball slots. Use the Ice Beam to activate the white one
and then morph into the Elder Statue's palm so you can roll into a room that
contains another [ENERGY TANK (10/14)]. Return to the Morph Ball slots and
use the Plasma Beam to activate the red one. Morph once again into the Elder
Statue's palm, and you will be sent to a room that contains the [ARTIFACT OF
WORLD (03/12). Once you've collected the Artifact, head out through the norm-
al entrance and into the Crossway. Here, use the slopes of the half-pipe to
boost yourself up to the Spider Ball tracks; use them and Bomb Jump into
Morph Ball slots, then once both are activated, drop down and ride the lift
to the [MISSILE EXPANSION (095/250)]. Keep heading backwards into the Furnace
area and eliminate the Chozo Ghosts, then use a Power Bomb on the far wall
near the Spider Ball tracks. Your blast will reveal a half-pipe, so boost up
to the tracks, then maneuver yourself along the narrow walkways to reach the
[MISSILE EXPANSION (100/250)] at the top. Drop down and return to the Hall of
the Elders via the nearby white door. If you're lucky, the Chozo Ghosts won't
have respawned. If they have, you'll probably have to stick it out and fight
them. Whatever happens, get back up top and into the Reflecting Pool. Head to
the Save Station, save your game, and use the nearby Morph Ball tunnels to
return to Tallon Overworld.
8G. CRASHED SPACE PIRATE FRIGATE
--------------------------------
This short section details the seventh part of this speed run, where you will
go back through Tallon Overworld for a few items and then navigate the wreck
of the Space Pirate Frigate on your way back to the Phazon Mines.
: =TALLON OVERWORLD= :
Head out through Transport Tunnel C out to the Frigate Crash Site. Some Fly-
ing Pirates will attack you here; eliminate them with the Plasma Beam, then
drop down into the water. Head to the central root structure and Space Jump
to the small alcove to pick up the [MISSILE EXPANSION (105/250)], then head
back out of the water to reach the white door that leads into the wreck.
: =CRASHED SPACE PIRATE FRIGATE= :
As you enter the main site of the wreck, you'll have to roll into the Morph
Ball to access the subventilation shafts. As you make your way through the
shafts (the same ones you used to escape, no less) you'll encounter some
Tallon Crabs; just move on past them as they're pretty harmless. Soon, you'll
find a room with two still-functioning Auto Defense Turrets. Disregard the
fact that they physically shouldn't be operational and concern yourself more
with destroying them. The door at the bottom is powerless, so use the Thermal
Visor to locate the Power Conduit over the door, then activate it with the
Wave Beam. You'll be doing this a lot to restore various sections of power,
so you might as well get used to it now. Beyond here lies the Reactor Core
(back where you fought the Parasite Queen), as well as a couple of Aqua Pir-
ates. Target them and use charged Plasma Beams to get them out of your way.
The door at the bottom of the Reactor Core requires you to activate four
Power Conduits in the room. Switch your Thermal Visor on and look just to the
left of the door to find the first one. The second one is a little ways off
the main walkway, and the last two are on the far wall, so approach the rail-
ing and look out and around to find them. Once all four are activated, go
back and enter the door, then look around with the Thermal Visor to locate
two Power Conduits to give the next door power. As you enter Cargo Freight
Lift to Deck Gamma, blast the broken grate away near the entrance with a
charged shot to reach another [ENERGY TANK (11/14)], then use the Thermal
Visor to locate the Power Conduit just to the right of the shattered grate.
You now have to work your way up the lift shaft, as the elevator long since
ceased to function.
Beware - the vertical ascent is laced with debris and Aqua Reapers. Look
above you to shoot them out of the way before hopping up the platforms. About
midway up, switch to the Thermal Visor again to locate the second Power Con-
duit, then continue the ascent all the way to the top, where a dead Space
Pirate will crash into the water. At the top, look on the wall to find the
third Power Conduit, then head on through the now-active door into the upper
levels of Biohazard Containment. As you enter the room, there are two active
Auto Defense Turrets on the other side of the containment tube. Slowly strafe
to the left to get a good lock on while giving yourself cover, then take them
out. Before proceeding further, switch to Thermal and activate the two Power
Conduits up here. One is near where you came in, and the other is just by the
broken elevator leading to the lower level. Belowdecks, you'll find two Aqua
Drones swimming around; these act very much like Sentry Drones, so take them
out with the Wave Beam. Before moving on, check around you with the Scan Vis-
or to locate the Cordite block on the lower deck and launch a Super Missile
at it to reveal the next [MISSILE EXPANSION (110/250)], then start looking
for the third Power Conduit - it's on the far wall across from your position.
Continue on through the Aqua Reaper-infested subtunnels into Biotech Research
Area 1; destroy the Aqua Pirates that attack, then locate three more Power
Conduits in the walls to advance. The first one is right near the door, a
second is opposite the door, just down a little ways, and the third is on the
deck below you. Activate them, then head into the Elevator to Deck Beta.
This broken shaft leads to a new area of Deck Beta you hadn't explored during
the opening level. Descend the tunnel, avoiding the Aqua Sacs clinging to the
walls. At the bottom of the shaft is the entrance to Hydro Access Tunnel,
where you have to Bomb Jump over some obstacles. Don't get in a hurry though;
the buoyancy has a nice effect on your Bomb Jumps. As you reach the second
tall obstruction, you'll get to perform a underwater Double Bomb Jump. Your
timing must be quite precise to succesfully pull this off. Start off by set-
ting a single Bomb. As it explodes and pops you far up, watch and wait for
your upwards momentum to slow, then immediately set the second Bomb. As you
stop and fall back down, the second Bomb will detonate, sending you much
higher. Repeat the sequence for setting the third Bomb, and as you start your
descent again, the third Bomb will blow you skywards again. Hold left as you
ascend off the third Bomb to roll onto the ledge holding the [ENERGY TANK
(12/14)], then exit this tunnel and ascend the spiraling ramps to escape the
Frigate wreckage and wind up back in Tallon Overworld.
: =TALLON OVERWORLD= :
Upon exiting the door into Great Tree Hall, a few Seedlings on the tree will
waste no time in firing their projectiles at you, so take them out, then
start Space Jumping up the platforms lining the tree. Near the top, you'll
find that Spinner device from earlier. Since you already unlocked the gate,
just head on through and start making your way up the platforms in the next
area (last time you took the door to Chozo Ruins - don't do that this time).
Use the Spider Ball to ascend the twisting Magnetic Rail, then use a Power
Bomb to destroy the Bendezium blocking access into the next chamber. In this
half-pipe of a room, you need to use the Boost Ball to gain enough acceler-
ation to land atop the oval structure in the center, then bomb yourself to
the hidden [MISSILE EXPANSION (115/250)], then continue to boost yourself out
of this Access tunnel into the main Life Grove. Drop down and grab the [X-RAY
VISOR] upgrade, then set a Power Bomb to blast the walls in this area out of
the way.
Jump into the pond near the back and set a Bomb by the drain slot to activate
a pillar. Stay underwater and use the Spinner at the base to raise up a
bridge that contains the [ARTIFACT OF CHOZO (04/12)]. Space Jump up to the
Artifact, then start ascending the platforms along the walls to the exit at
the top. Midway up, some Chozo Ghosts get a bit teed off that you're trying
to steal their Artifact. Teach them the lesson they so badly need with the
X-Ray Visor and Super Missile, then continue on your way out of the Life
Grove back into the Great Tree Hall. Destroy the few Seedlings and work to
the ledge of the highest Bloodflower. Destroy it and hop on up, then look out
with the X-Ray Visor to spot an invisible ledge. Space Jump to it, then Space
Jump again to the hidden ledge that leads to a [MISSILE EXPANSION (120/250)]
behind the door. Then backtrack to the white door and head on back to the
Phazon Mines.
8H. PHAZON MINES REVISITED
--------------------------
This short section details the eighth part of this speed run, which goes over
your return to the Phazon Mines and exploration of the lowest levels.
: =PHAZON MINES= :
This time through the Mines, you should be proceeding as you would have nor-
mally, and thus some of the quirky side effects won't be present. Enter the
Main Quarry and dispense with the Space Pirates or Shadow Pirates if you run
into them, take out the Mega Turrets, and deactivate the forcefield at the
back-left of this area. Head into Security Access A and peek around the cor-
ner to alert two Auto Defense Turrets to your location, then take them out
with Missiles. After they're gone, use a Power Bomb on the far wall and head
into the newly opened passage for a [MISSILE EXPANSION (125/250)], then head
on out into Mine Security Access. As you get inside, switch to the Thermal
Visor and start shooting stuff to trigger the Shadow Pirates. Waste them with
charged Plasma Beam shots and make your way through the complex until the
cinema introduces the next enemy - the Beam Troopers. As usual, you'll face
the Wave breed first, though since you're on your second trip, you may end up
with a few Ice Troopers here as well. Sequence breaking this game tends to
randomize enemy placement here and there. When you reach the top of the area,
use a Power Bomb to blow away the grating in front of a computer panel, then
scan the console to unlock a gate on the lower level, backtrack down to grab
the [FLAMETHROWER CHARGE COMBO] upgrade, then return to the door in the
ceiling at the top, and head on through. Inside Elite Research, take out any
enemies if you run into them, and then set a Power Bomb off by the main tank
in the center to trigger another mini-boss battle.
MINI-BOSS BATTLE: PHAZON ELITE
------------------------------
The Phazon Elite is a more powerful version of the Elite Pirates you faced
earlier, but it has many of the same attacks. Read below for Normal and
Hard Mode strategies for eliminating this mini-boss.
[NORMAL MODE]
His strength lies in his Wave Quake attack as he possesses no Plasma Art-
illery Cannons like the standard Elites. Try not to get hung up in the
machinery around the room, and strafe around while launching Super Missiles
at his head. Don't fire anything while the Phazon Elite is holding out his
palm, since anything Beam-based will be absorbed. This battle is what the
normal Elite Pirates will be like on Hard, so if you want to take the time
to familiarize yourself with advanced tactics, go ahead. Approximately 4
Super Missiles will put him out of his misery.
[HARD MODE]
This time around, the Phazon Elite is a bit less sluggish and makes up for
his patheticness from Normal Mode with intensified attacks. About 8 or 9
Super Missiles will bring this version down, but you'll spend a lot of time
dodging the Wave Quakes and waiting out the beam-absorption phases before
getting your chance to attack. Just keep hitting him when he's vulnerable
and he'll fall.
Defeating this mini-boss reveals the [ARTIFACT OF WARRIOR (05/12)]. Grab it
and begin making your way up the staggered ledges around the room. On the
second level, you'll face off with two Wave Troopers - defeat them, climb up
the second level to face a Power Trooper (and, I think, an Auto Defense Turr-
et). Once he's gone, use the Spinner to rotate the pulse cannon in the ceil-
ing so it's facing the left-hand wall, then bomb yourself out and scan the
firing controls to blast the wall away, revealing a [MISSILE EXPANSION (130/
250)]. Return to the Spinner and point the cannon at the wall right in front
of you, and scan the firing controls once more to blast this wall away and
reveal the exit. Just inside lies Ore Processing, which usually has some Pow-
er Troopers, but due to how you've broken sequence, you may again encounter
Metroids in here. Dispatch whatever enemies you find, and roll up the yellow
Magnetic Rail all the way to the top, then simply drop down one level to
return to Elevator A Access. Drop down the long shaft and return to Level 2
of the Phazon Mines.
Exit the transport and into Elite Control Access. At the top is a grate that
is spewing toxic gas. Manually aim at the explosive crate on the ledge and
launch a Missile at it to blow it up, kill two Power Troopers that would've
otherwise ambushed you, as well as reveal a [MISSILE EXPANSION (135/250)],
then head on into Elite Control. Activate the Thermal Visor as you'll be
attacked by a lot of Shadow Pirates as you make your way through, and toast
them with the Plasma Beam. As you make your way up, head back into the Vent-
ilation Shaft, and back into Omega Research. More Shadow Pirates await here,
though you can skip them and drop back into the Dynamo Access. Head back into
the Central Dynamo to run into some friendly Ice Troopers. Eliminate them and
stop at the save station to save your game. Exit back out, take out the Ice
Troopers since they will likely have respawned, and use a Power Bomb to clear
the Bendezium away from the other door, then head into Quarantine Access A.
As you enter the door, immediately Morph and roll to the right because there
are four Mega Turrets just waiting to blast you to oblivion. As you head to
the right, you can drop into a small tunnel that allows you to pass under the
Turrets and pop up on the other side. As you exit, scan the console in front
of you to silence the offending Turrets, and proceed into Metroid Quarantine
A. In here, you'll find a rather nasty combination of captive Metroids and
Space Pirates. Scan the console to deactivate the forcefield, and sit back
and watch as the Pirates wig out as the wicked Metroids attack them en-masse.
This sequence takes a little while, so make the most of it and head down to
the lower area and Space Jump to the large mushroom-like Saturnines. Use the
X-Ray Visor to spot invisible platforms, then hop to each one and arm your
Plasma Beam because you will probably have a few Metroids on your tail at
this point. Keep using the X-Ray Visor to ascend the Saturnines and ledges,
then cross another invisible one to reach a ledge with a Magnetic Rail. Space
Jump to the ledge, then use Power Bombs on the rear wall to reveal a passage
to another side of the room. Roll along the Magnetic Rail to yet another
rocky ledge where you can use the X-Ray Visor once more to find a vertically
moving invisible platform that leads straight up to another [MISSILE EXPAN-
SION (140/250)]. From your position, Space Jump to the thin metal walkway in
front of you, then lock your view down so you ensure your safe landing on the
ledge with the first set of Magnetic Rails. Ride them to the white door and
scan the console to activate the transport leading down to the third level of
the Phazon Mines.
The third level of this area is quite a bit tougher, and you'll be alternat-
ing quite a bit between all of your Visors. The next room you'll enter is the
Fungal Hall Access. There's a normal Space Pirate a little ways down; take it
out and drop down to the bottom of the area, morphing along the way. You'll
land and roll down a slight incline into a patch of searing Phazon, so quick-
ly roll and grab the [MISSILE EXPANSION (145/250)] from under the Saturnine,
then get out of the damaging radiation and head back up to reach Fungal Hall
A. You'll deal with a whole family of Hunter Metroids here, so keep your
distance to avoid their siphon tentacles while using the Ice Beam + Missile
attack, then use the flying Glider to Grapple across to the far ledge. Set
off a Power Bomb to reveal the entry to the Phazon Mining Tunnel, then roll
down the narrow passages to the bottom.
Once at the lowest point, quickly use the Boost Ball to rocket across the
collapsing floor or else risk a painful encounter with the Phazon lake below.
Exit through the left (you can't reach the area to the right just yet) of the
tunnel to reach Fungal Hall B, where the lights go out. There are multiple
Metroids lurking in here, so switch to the Thermal Visor to see them easier.
Take them out as you come across them, then head across the bottom area with
the X-Ray Visor enabled so you can see a hidden compartment in the floor. Use
a Power Bomb to blast the rock away so you can grab the [MISSILE EXPANSION
(150/250)], then return to the top Saturnines and grapple off to the left
using the Glider to reach a Missile Station. Restock and exit out to the
large Saturnine once more, then grapple straight ahead to reach another Sat-
urnine. A helpful trick to land on this Saturnine is to swing until you're
literally flying over it, then swinging back a little ways and letting go.
Once on there, Space Jump to the next one and head on into a short area
containing some invisible Pulse Bombus. Use the X-Ray Visor to track them as
you jump from Saturnine to Saturnine, and once on the other side, head on
into Metroid Quarantine B.
Once you make it into the next Quarantine, you'll finally come face-to-face
with a room full of Plasma Troopers. These are honestly weaker than the Ice
Troopers if you really lay into them - blast them with a charged Plasma Beam
and they'll catch on fire, which is really funny to watch (especially if you
knock them off a perch and into the Phazon...). Deal with them from afar,
using your own Plasma Beam to toast them while dodging their powerful shots.
Once they've been eliminated, use the spiraling Magnetic Rail to reach a
small platform, then Space Jump to another ledge off to your left (if you're
facing the back of the room where you can see the forcefield). Aim up and
locate the Grapple Point, then jump at it until it glows blue. Latch onto it
and swing over the Phazon pit to solid ground. Scan the console to deactivate
the Quarantine forcefield, and engage the Plasma Trooper that rushes out at
you. Head inside and kill the Wave Troopers that try to snipe you, destroy
the Cordite tank to get another [MISSILE EXPANSION (155/250)], then head up
the ramps to reach Elite Quarters Access. Deal with another Plasma Trooper in
here, then use the Plasma Beam to melt the ice covering the lock device on
the door. Head on in to the next room for the next boss encounter.
BOSS BATTLE: OMEGA PIRATE
-------------------------
Like Thardus, the Omega Pirate is a large Phazon-powered freak of nature
that puts the Elite Pirates and the Phazon Elite to shame. It has a number
of potent attacks that can ruin your day. Read below for Normal and Hard
Mode strategies for easily eliminating this boss.
[NORMAL MODE]
You'll primarily be playing defense during this battle. Offensively, the
Omega Pirate has a number of potent attacks that you need to avoid. Its
first is a larger version of the Wave Quake. Space Jump over it to avoid
the wave and make sure you stay far away enough so that the boss can't
reach you, but close enough so that you're still looking up at the Omega
Pirate. The reason for this is that your position in relation to the Pirate
will trigger its second or third attacks. Its second one is a giant punch
that knocks you quite a ways back, and the third one is to fire a number of
homing bombs at you. Its fourth attack comes in the form of Beam Troopers,
but you don't have to deal with those just yet.
Start the battle by locking on to one of the four Phazon deposits on its
armor and destroy each with a Super Missile or rapid-firing your Plasma
Beam. Destroying all four forces the Omega Pirate into its healing phase.
The Omega Pirate will fall and turn invisible at this point. Look around
for any Beam Troopers that show up during this part and quickly take them
out, then switch to the X-Ray Visor and look for the Omega Pirate. It will
appear over one of the three patches of pure Phazon so it can regenerate
its armor. Quickly Boost over to its location and stop right in front of
the Phazon patch. Now, the Omega Pirate can only take damage if you are
looking at it with the X-Ray Visor; otherwise your fire will just go into
thin air. Use a Bomb Jump and set a Power Bomb at the apex of your jump,
then quickly unmorph and switch to the X-Ray Visor as you fall. Look up
towards the Omega Pirate as the Power Bomb detonates - if done correctly,
you should wipe out about half of its LE. If not, this means you just have
to go another round. At this point, the Omega Pirate will either reappear
in the visible spectrum if you gave it enough time to regenerate its armor
or reappear at another Phazon patch. Stand so that you're by the first
patch of Phazon, and activate the X-Ray Visor so that you can see the other
two - the Omega Pirate will never appear at the same patch twice in a row,
and this gives you a perfect vantage point to see where it will go next.
When it does, again quickly Boost over and repeat the same Power Bomb move
to drain the rest of its energy. This trick is sometimes hit or miss, but
if you have to go a second round, the Omega Pirate should only have enough
energy left that you can finish it off with a Super Missile. For the second
round, eliminate whatever Beam Troopers show up, and take this boss down.
[HARD MODE]
The Omega Pirate is capable of taking a real beating in this go-round; it
will take about 8 Super Missiles (or 4 well-timed Power Bomb blasts) to the
weakened form to defeat it, but this is easier said than done.
Each Phazon deposit will take two Super Missiles or a lot of Plasma Beam
fire to destroy this time, and the time spent in its regeneration phase is
a bit shorter. Therefore you should plan on this battle going at least 3
rounds. Take out the deposits like before, eliminate the Beam Troopers,
find the Omega Pirate and use a Power Bomb to eliminate a chunk of his LE,
then do it again if possible. You should spend more time defending against
the Beam Troopers since it is impossible to finish this fight in a single
round. Once the Plasma and Power Troopers show up, try and hop around to
keep their shots from hitting you if you're busy trying to damage the Omega
Pirate. Unless the Beam Troopers are flaying you alive, it's often best to
ignore them and let the sniveling cretins get wasted by the Omega Pirate's
Wave Quake attack. This particular fight is tough, but with patience, you
will persevere.
The saying goes, the bigger they are, the harder they fall, right? And fall
the Omega Pirate does, right on top of you! The Omega Pirate's body dissolves
into pure Phazon, and what should rightfully kill you right then and there
instead corrupts your entire Power Suit, changing it into the super-powered
[PHAZON SUIT]. You will now be immune to the effects of blue Phazon, you have
radically-increased defensive abilities, and you can channel pure Phazon via
your Arm Cannon for the [PHAZON BEAM]. Immediately take your new suit and re-
turn to Metroid Quarantine B, backtracking through Fungal Hall B into the
Phazon Mining Tunnel. As you enter from this way, you'll see a glowing object
at the end; drop into the Phazon-laced tunnel that you can now survive and
use Bombs to blast away all of the rocks to reach the bottom where the [ART-
IFACT OF NEWBORN (06/12)] sits.
Now return to Omega Quarters via the same route you took to get here, and
scan the panel on the right-hand side of the cave to activate an elevator.
Ride it up to the top level, then go on through the door at the back into
Processing Center Access, where you'll find another [ENERGY TANK (13/14)] as
a reward for defeating the Omega Pirate. Continue back into the Phazon Proc-
essing Center; this time you'll face the "standard" set of enemies - two
Power Troopers, two Wave Troopers, two Plasma Troopers, and two Mega Turrets.
Eliminate them as you ascend the platforms until you can go no farther. Use
the X-Ray Visor to get to the second level, then head to the far wall and
Space Jump to a ledge where you can detonate a Power Bomb to reveal a hidden
[MISSILE EXPANSION (160/250)]. Now continue your ascent, rolling along the
left-hand spiraling Magnetic Rail, then take out the Power Trooper hiding up
top. Head across the ledges here, activating the X-Ray Visor to keep track of
the invisible ones. At the top, ride the moving platform back to solid ground
and you'll reach the transport leading back to Magmoor Caverns.
: =MAGMOOR CAVERNS= :
As you Power Bomb your way back out into Magmoor Workstation, quickly dash
past all the Flying Pirates and head up the ledges at the back to return to
the Transport room. Head to the rear and save your game, then head up back to
Phendrana Drifts.
8I. THE SCAVENGER HUNT
----------------------
This section details the ninth part of this speed run, which consists of
quick runthroughs of all of Tallon IV's regions to collect all of the remain-
ing items and expansions you didn't get on your first few passes. This is
designed to be a quick run with no saving involved, so a good amount of prac-
tice is recommended.
: =PHENDRANA DRIFTS= :
From the transport room, head back into Quarantine Cave, ignoring the Shee-
goth that now resides there. Look to your right and swing across the grapple
points to reach a tunnel leading to the Quarantine Monitor where a [MISSILE
EXPANSION (165/250)] is hidden. Leave here and race back to the other side of
the Phendrana Drifts and navigate back through Frozen Pike all the way to the
Gravity Chamber where you got the Gravity Suit. Here, head up the ledges un-
til you're above the waterline and take out the Flying Pirates. Look above
for an ice formation and melt it with the Plasma Beam, then use the newly-
revealed grapple point to swing to another [MISSILE EXPANSION (170/250)],
then take the door to exit and head all the way back to Frozen Pike. As you
make your ascent, head back into the Hydra Research Labs to grab the last two
items you need here. As you head through, you'll encounter Shadow Pirates as
well as Metroids. Eliminate them and head back to the Control Tower. Take out
the Flying Pirates again if you find them, then hop up to the entrance above
the East Tower. Destroy the crates, then use the Plasma Beam to melt the ice
on the window. Look out and fire a Missile at the tower in the distance to
collapse it; as it falls, you need to get inside and roll to grab the [ARTI-
FACT OF ELDER (07/12)], then use the Morph Ball again to navigate some tight
passages to exit. Now backtrack to Research Lab Hydra and use a Super Missile
on the Cordite tank to reveal another [MISSILE EXPANSION (175/250)], then
finally head through the Research Entrance, not stopping for anything as you
leave and head back out into the Ruined Courtyard.
In the Ruined Courtyard, ignore the Flying Pirates as you streak down to the
left towards the exit. Make your way back to Ice Ruins West and hop across
the ledges near the door to reach the end, then use the Plasma Beam to melt
through some ice and collect a [POWER BOMB EXPANSION (6/8)]. Leave Ice Ruins
West and you'll find yourself back in the Phendrana Shorelines. Leap to the
bottom and start making your way back to the Chozo Ice Temple, stopping near
the door. Head to the left and use a Super Missile on the Cordite wall decor-
ation, then scan the revealed symbol to access a panel. Bomb Jump into the
newly-revealed tunnel and use the Spider Ball to reach the [MISSILE EXPANSION
(180/250)], then drop out and head into the Ice Temple. Head up all the plat-
forms to reach the door leading to the Chapel of the Elders. Use the Plasma
Beam to melt the ice river on the large Chozo statue. As it melts, jump into
its palm and morph to activate the unlocking sequence, then roll into the
tunnel at the bottom to collect the [ARTIFACT OF SUN (08/12). Leave the Tem-
ple and return to Ice Ruins East via the door a little ways down. Again,
ignore the Sheegoth here as you ascend the ledges lining the room. As you
reach the halfway point, you can look to your left and see two Crystallites
on a ledge. Head instead to your right and use the Magnetic Rail to grab the
[MISSILE EXPANSION (185/250)], then roll out and head to the door near the
end. Drop directly beneath the door and use the Plasma Beam to melt the ice
formation in the wall to grab the [MISSILE EXPANSION (190/250)], then run as
fast as you can back to the door leading back out to Phendrana Shorelines.
Return to the area near the Save Station and locate the pillar with another
iced wall, and melt it with the Plasma Beam for another [MISSILE EXPANSION
(195/250)]. Finally, head back across towards the entrance to return down to
Magmoor Caverns.
: =MAGMOOR CAVERNS= :
Head through Transport Tunnel A, and once back in Monitor Station, dispatch
any offending Flying Pirates, then Space Jump to the ledge above you. At the
top, stand on top of the computer terminals and look at the door across the
way from you. Inch out as far as you can, then make a long L-Lock Space Jump
towards the rock cliff. You should land on this right in front of the door.
NOTE: This is the quicker version; if you can't do this, then from the top
where the computers are, follow the catwalk to a Spinner that you'll use to
raise a bridge, then Space Jump over to the rock face and use the Boost Ball
to race along the rocky path. Enter the door at the end to reach the Warrior
Shrine and grab the [ARTIFACT OF STRENGTH (09/12)] from the Chozo Statue,
then immediately set a Power Bomb on the small covering by the statue's feet
to drop into a room containing another [POWER BOMB EXPANSION (7/8)]. Head out
of here and simply drop off the rock face, then turn around and head into
Shore Tunnel. Set a Power Bomb in the middle of the tunnel to crack the walls
and drop down to the cave below and grab the [ICE SPREADER CHARGE COMBO] up-
grade. Now continue on through here into the large area with the Magmoor and
use the Boost Ball to rocket through the lava to save time. Reach the door
and head into the Transport to return to Tallon Overworld.
: =TALLON OVERWORLD= :
You'll reenter this area via the Root Cave. Start ascending up the platforms
on the sides of the room. Once you reach the top (or at least as high as you
can go) you'll have to use the Grapple Beam to swing to the opposite side of
the cave. Use the X-Ray Visor to locate invisible platforms that lead upward
to higher ground. Stop at the fourth one up and scan around to find another
[MISSILE EXPANSION (200/250)] hidden in an alcove behind some vegetation.
Space Jump up and grab it, then hop back to the invisible platforms. Ascend
the platforms to the top to reach a door leading to Arbor Chamber, and head
inside to grab another [MISSILE EXPANSION (205/250)], then drop down and make
your way back through the Landing Site towards the Chozo Ruins.
:= CHOZO RUINS= :
As you reenter the Main Plaza, you'll probably find a Plated Beetle. Ignore
it (or vaporize it from behind with the Plasma Beam), then head into the
Ruined Shrine. By this point, Chozo Ghosts should be occupying this area, so
quickly move to the half-pipe and Boost up the right-hand side of the struc-
ture and into the small Morph Ball tunnel to claim the [MISSILE EXPANSION
(210/250)], then pause for about five seconds. If you immediately roll out,
you stand a good chance of a Chozo Ghost hanging around and pounding you.
Once you've waited a bit, roll out and return to the half-pipe, using the
Boost Ball to rocket up the other side of the tunnel. Here, ride along the
Magnetic Rail as past as possible while trying not to get shot down to reach
a purple door hidden in the ceiling area. Provided you don't get shot down,
you can easily cut off about two minutes by skipping this battle.
Enter the purple door to reach a tunnel that leads to the Tower of Light. As
you enter, you'll have to start climbing the ledges lining the walls. When
you get to the top, you'll then have to start firing Missiles at the weakened
portions of the walls. Manually aim at each of the cracked areas and fire
three Missiles apiece to destroy each part before moving on. There are four
sections like this on each of the three levels, so you'll be using a total of
36 Missiles to get to the top. After destroying each of the four sections on
a level, the tower will rumble and collapse a bit. Space Jump up to the next
set of platforms and repeat the firing sequence while avoiding the Plated
Puffers that start floating about. Getting hit by these almost guarantees a
plunge into the water below, and it takes a bit of time to climb back up. Try
to collapse the Tower as quickly as possible so as to expedite your trip up.
Collapse the three levels to reach the central structure, where you can Space
Jump up to the top platform to claim the [WAVEBUSTER CHARGE COMBO] upgrade.
From the top, take a long dive into the water below and head into the Medit-
ation Chamber to pick up the [ARTIFACT OF LIFEGIVER (10/12), then return to
the Ruined Shrine and quickly bomb the weak block on the left-hand side of
the room to roll to another [MISSILE EXPANSION (215/250)], then get out as
quickly as you can to avoid the Chozo Ghosts.
Head back to the Main Plaza, ignoring the Plated Beetle/Beetle swarm, and
head back to the Hive Totem room, making sure to Space Jump your way to the
door so as to not trigger the Hive Mecha fight (if you do, however, it's rat-
her amusing how quickly it ends with the Super Missiles or the Plasma Beam).
Take the door behind where the Mecha sits and head up the passage to reach
Sun Tower Access. From here, head into the Sun Tower and quickly eliminate
the War Wasps, then look for the four runic symbols on the walls. Two of them
are easy to spot, the other two are hidden behind Cordite panels on the pill-
ars, so expose them with a Super Missile. Once all four have been scanned,
a blockage on the Magnetic Rail is removed. Use the Spider Ball to roll up
the tracks - midway up, the track starts to break, and you'll have to use
Bombs to jump in between the sections. Be careful of the Oculuses as they
circle the tracks because they can knock you to the bottom. Your Bombs can
also blow up parts of the track, and you'll have to wait a few seconds for
them to reappear if this happens.
Once at the top, you'll just barely catch sight of a Chozo Ghost fly off, so
follow it and you'll reenter the Sunchamber, where you fought Flaahgra earl-
ier. Three Chozo Ghosts will attack as you enter; stay near the entrance and
pick them off with the X-Ray Visor and your Super Missiles. Once they've been
defeated, you can climb up the flower petals where Flaahgra once was to reach
the [ARTIFACT OF WILD (11/12). Collecting the Artifact causes the vines that
were covering the lowest door to vanish, but you don't need to worry about
this route. Return to the Sun Tower, back through the Vault to reach the Main
Plaza and head across the ledges along the top. Stop when you get to the
giant tree with the large knot-like structure in its truck. Fire a Super
Missile to crack it, then Space Jump to the [MISSILE EXPANSION (220/250)].
Run across the bridge and towards the Ruined Fountain. In here, morph into
a ball and let to fountain spit you up towards the ceiling. Hold R to cling t
to the Magnetic Rail and roll along it to reach another [MISSILE EXPANSION
(225/250)], then continue on into the Gathering Hall. Make your back back to
the Watery Hall (where you got the Charge Beam), and drop into the water at
the back of the room to reach another [MISSILE EXPANSION (230/250)]. Climb
back up to where the Eyons are in the walls where you actually picked up the
Charge Beam, and set Bombs by the sandstone on the right to clear a path to
the Dynamo area. In here, fire a Missile at the metallic grate to expose a
[MISSILE EXPANSION (235/250)], then use the Magnetic Rail to roll up and
reach a second [MISSILE EXPANSION (240/250)]. Now backtrack to the Ruined
Fountain and take that door near the back-left that you've never gone into to
reach the Magma Pool. Since you have all of the items, you can simply use the
Grapple Beam to cross the pit, but there is also a way to Double Bomb Jump-
Morph to get up to the end if you feel like a challenge - Space Jump into the
lava, find a small outcropping at the end, and execute a DBJ-M to reach the
ledge. This is pretty hard, and is useful only if you don't have the Grapple
Beam, though. Make it fast and easy and just swing across, then detonate a
Power Bomb on the wall to reveal the final [POWER BOMB EXPANSION (8/8)], then
exit out and take the nearby passageway into Training Chamber Access, where
you can roll to another hidden [MISSILE EXPANSION (245/250)] through a tunnel
near the back. Enter the Training Chamber, defeat a few Chozo Ghosts, then
use the Morph Ball slots that appear to reach the final [ENERGY TANK (14/14)]
of the game. Continue out of Piston Tunnel to return to a much higher area of
the Main Plaza, where you can use the Grapple Beam to swing across the Plaza
to reach the final [MISSILE EXPANSION (250/250)]. You're finished with your
item-gathering quest now, so return via the Transport nearby to Tallon Over-
world.
8J. TALLON OVERWORLD -> IMPACT CRATER
-------------------------------------
This section details the tenth and final part of this speed run, where you
finish your item collection and return all of the Chozo Artifacts to their
Artifact Temple to reach the evil that lurks below the surface.
: =TALLON OVERWORLD= :
Return via the short passages to the Landing Site and save your game at your
Gunship. You will now have 98% of the items, even though you're only missing
one - for an explanation, refer to the next section of this guide). Exit the
ship and look directly across the Landing Site to see a door high above you
on the other side. Head across towards the waterfall and use the ledges on
the left-hand side to reach where the door is. Space Jump up to reach the
ledges, and follow the path around to the blue door that leads to the Temple
Hallway. Boost past the Tangle Weed and the three Seedlings in here and head
through into the Temple Security Station. Follow this enemy-free path into
the Artifact Temple, and Boost your way through the winding tunnels to reach
the outer area of the Temple. Right ahead of you in your path is the game's
final item, the [ARTIFACT OF TRUTH (12/12)]. Collecting it will automatically
begin the next sequence where the Artifacts are used to unlock the Cipher of
the Temple. But before you can finish, Meta Ridley finally arrives to mess
with your day.
BOSS BATTLE: META RIDLEY
------------------------
Were you wondering when this fight was going to happen? Not one to let you
down, Meta Ridley swoops in and starts destroying the Chozo Towers that
are in the process of removing the Cipher. Read below for Normal and Hard
Mode strategies for eliminating this boss.
[NORMAL MODE]
Meta Ridley is heavily armored and at this point only has a single weak
spot on his body - his chest - and he spends most of the battle protecting
it. However, you can easily get at it when he's in the air. Once he's on
the ground, you can take advantage of an easy trick to end this fight in
a fairly expeditious fashion. This battle goes in a series of phases, and
Meta Ridley will use different attacks at different times. Below is a brief
list of these phases and what to do during each one.
1. FLYING PHASE
Meta Ridley generally hovers in front of you or slightly to the left or
the right. He uses his flamestrike projector a lot during this part, but
also leaves his weak spot wide open. Dash to the left or the right to
get away from his beams, then target his chest and fire away with charg-
ed Plasma Beams.
2. DIVING PHASE
This phase starts when Meta Ridley flies off into the distance. You will
not be able to hurt him here, so just back up into the entrance to the
Temple and wait for him to fire his spread of Meson Bombs. These will
destroy the remaining Chozo Towers, so collect the refills they leave
behind. Once he finishes dive-bombing, he'll hover again, so target his
chest and fire Super Missiles.
3. LANDING PHASE
This phase begins after you damage him during Phase 2, and he will fly
over the temple and begin to settle over the area. Watch his shadow and
wait for him to land, and begin charging your Boost Ball. Rocket direct-
ly into him as he starts to settle on the ground, and you *should* cause
his wings to burn away. There's some quirky mechanic about how you can
cause infinite damage with the Boost Ball in certain situations. What-
ever the reason, this move singlehandedly eliminates an entire phase of
his trying to claw at you. If this doesn't work, you will have to deal
with a few melee clawing attacks while firing at his chest with the
charged Plasma Beam.
4. MELEE PHASE
Once his wings are gone, he should have approximately a quarter of his
life remaining. This phase gets extremely personal, as Meta Ridley will
use multiple charging, ramming, and clawing attacks. Lock onto his
head and keep circling the area; when you see him rear his head back,
strafe and dash out of the way with the Space Jump to avoid his charging
attack, then rotate and reacquire your lock quickly. What you want to
watch for here is Meta Ridley opening his mouth and craning his neck
around - this is when you can damage him, so move in close and pound him
in the mouth with a regular Missile. This will stun him and he'll fall
back, revealing his weak point. Lock onto his chest now and fire a Super
Missile directly at his chest, then get ready to dash out of the way
because Meta Ridley will most likely charge at you again. If you keep
your distance, you probably won't even have to deal with his clawing
attack. Keep locking on and stunning him, then attacking his chest to
defeat him.
[HARD MODE]
This is a more typical Hard Mode fight, in which Meta Ridley inflicts twice
as much damage to you, while you can only inflict half as much. His attacks
and phases stay exactly the same, although he uses his attacks more in com-
bination during this round. Attack him the same until you get him into his
landing phase, then Boost Ball into him to force him out of phase 3 and in-
to his melee mode. This time, he won't telegraph his charge attack as much,
so you need to watch him for any kind of sudden movements so you can still
dash out of the way. In this one, for some peculiar reason, you may cause
Meta Ridley to get "stuck" in pattern of simply opening his mouth, letting
you attack, and then opening his mouth again. If this happens, then the
fight is just that much easier for you. He takes a lot more damage in this
mode, so just be prepared.
Defeating Meta Ridley causes him to stumble backwards towards the edge of the
Artifact Temple. At once, the twelve Chozo Chosts reanimate and concentrate
a singular laser attack on Meta Ridley's chest. This powerful blast forces
him further backwards and over the edge to his death. These twelve Ghosts
then take your Artifacts and proceed to finish unlocking the Great Seal over
the Impact Crater. Just ahead lies some powerful Metroids and of course, the
battle against Metroid Prime.
: =IMPACT CRATER= :
This is it, the final area of the game. As you leave the transport, head to
the Save Station to your left. This will be your final opportunity to save,
and you probably don't want to re-fight Meta Ridley should things not go your
way here. Exit the save room and head through the adjacent red door to reach
Crater Tunnel A. Shoot the Lumigeks that cover the floors and walls and Space
Jump over the red Phazon - your Phazon Suit isn't powerful enough to protect
you from this stuff, and you will lose energy very rapidly should you make
contact with it. Proceed into the Phazon Core to take one of three paths.
- The first path is to go balls to the wall and start racing up the teeth-
shaped ledges at the back and the floating ledges to hopefully reach the
middle bridge before any of the Fission Metroids catch you. This is more a
gamble of luck, really, but it can work.
- The second path is a more cautious route, and has you advancing into the
Core and eliminating the Fission Metroids as you see them, then heading up
the teeth-shaped ledges at the back to reach the floating ledges leading to
the middle bridge.
- The third path is to head into the Core and hang a hard right, Space Jump-
ing to small indentations in the rock wall here, and continuing to jump up
until you reach the middle bridge. With practice this becomes easy, but is
difficult the first few go-rounds.
Whichever method you choose is entirely up to you, but either way, you'll
have to tackle some Fission Metroids at some point on your ascent, either
after the middle or on the way up the first half. To defeat them, you can
either (a) Power Bomb them into oblivion, but honestly I would save these for
the final battle, or (b) shoot them with whatever you have until they split
into two separate beam-based Metroids. At this point, they can only be hurt
with their corresponding beam (Yellow=Power, White=Ice, Purple=Wave, and Red=
Plasma). There is no end to these Metroids as they spawn from the Phazon it-
self, so you need to be fast through this area. Once you make it to the mid-
point, head into the red door to reach a Missile Station so you can recharge
your Missiles and generally take a quick breather. Exit this room when you're
ready and destroy any Fission Metroids hanging around outside, then start
running to the left, where you'll see another one bobbing in the distance.
Let this one grab you and set a Power Bomb quickly to take it out; with luck
you'll eliminate the one hanging out above you, too. Once they're dead, spin
around to the right and Space Jump up and around the remaining ledges leading
to the top. At the end is a red door leading to Crater Tunnel B and your
temporary salvation from the Fission Metroids. Advance to the edge of the
rock here and ignore the Magnetic Rails; instead, just Space Jump across the
Phazon pit to reach the other side and the final red door. Waiting for you on
the other side is the much-discussed Metroid Prime.
BOSS BATTLE: METROID PRIME
--------------------------
As you enter the room, you'll see a massive black head hanging from the
ceiling. Metroid Prime unfolds into a large spidery-looking creature, and
upon seeing you, blast through a wall and runs away. Chase after her to
begin the fight. Read below for Normal and Hard Mode strategies for taking
down her first form.
[NORMAL MODE]
Metroid Prime's only weak point is her eyes - attacks that land anywhere
else will simply reflect off and often come right back at you. The good
news is that it is pretty easy to lock on. The catch in this battle is that
Metroid Prime can alternate what weapons she is weak to, although like the
Beam Troopers and Fission Metroids, you can tell by what color the lines in
her armor are.
Like the battle with Meta Ridley, this one takes place in four distinct
phases, and what attacks she uses depend on what phase you're currently in.
She uses beam-based attacks and multi-missiles in the first round, adds a
charging attack and beam-based homing bombs in the second round, adds a
snare beam in the third round (which if you get too close also comes with
a claw slashing attack), and uses all of them in the fourth round. The beam
attacks and multi-missiles can be dodged by strafing from side to side, the
homing bombs can be shot down, and the snare beam attack can be stopped
with a hard shot to her face or a Power Bomb by her mouth. The only way to
dodge her charge attack is to find a groove in the floor, morph, and Boost
out of the way. During these phases, she will alter her colors, so attack
her with the corresponding beam weapon to inflict damage. Below is a list
of her colors and how best to handle each one.
1. POWER ARMOR
Yellow means use the Power Beam or Super Missiles, but you'll want to
wait until she launches an attack before you fire your own. Her homing
bomb scrambles your Visor like the Chozo Ghosts' electrical attacks.
2. WAVE ARMOR
Purple means use the Wave Beam, or the Wavebuster if you want to end the
phase quickly. Her beam attacks disable your targeting system, keeping
you from maintaining a lock, while her homing bombs will scramble your
Visor for five seconds or so.
3. ICE ARMOR
White means use the Ice Beam or the Ice Spreader if you want to end the
phase quickly. Her beam attack is an Ice Wave that freezes you in place,
and her bomb attacks pretty much do the same except with more damage.
Use the Ice Spreader + a Missile to end this quickly.
4. PLASMA ARMOR
Red means use the Plasma Beam, NOT the Flamethrower. This armor is diff-
icult to defend against, because her beam attacks and her homing bombs
both set you on fire and constantly drain energy from you. Rapid-firing
the Plasma Beam seems to work better than charged shots.
Don't be hesitant to use your Beam Charge Combos here; you won't need your
Missiles for the next phase of the battle too much, and you want to take
out Metroid Prime as quickly as possible to conserve your own energy reser-
ves. Read below for descriptions for each of the subchamber phases, so you
know what to expect in each area.
1. SUBCHAMBER 1
Metroid Prime changes color once during the part and uses beam attacks
and multi-missiles. She begins the battle in yellow, so use your Super
Missiles and the charged Power Beam to inflict damage. After scoring
enough hits, she'll screech and change to purple. Activate the Wavebus-
ter and lay on a steady stream until she screeches again and burrows
through the wall.
2. SUBCHAMBER 2
Metroid Prime changes color twice during this part and adds her charging
attack and her homing bombs. She begins the battle in yellow, changes to
white, then changes to purple. Remember that she uses her charge attack
after each color phase, so dodge and resume your attack. Once these
phases are over, she'll burrow again through the wall.
3. SUBCHAMBER 3
Metroid Prime changes color three times during this part, uses three
charge attacks, and adds her snare beam attack in addition to all of
her previous moves. She begins the battle in yellow, changes to purple,
then changes to red, and finally changes to white. Dodge the charge
attack after each phase and shoot down the homing bombs for refills.
Once these phases are complete, she will burrow one more time into the
next room.
4. SUBCHAMBER 4
Metroid Prime changes color eleven times during this part, has about
seven charge attacks, and uses all of her attacks interchangeably. She
will no longer alternate colors only when damaged; she will switch and
charge you at random. Pay close attention, adjust your weapons to match,
and keep your distance so you can shoot the homing bombs down and avoid
her snare attack. After you deplete her life meter, she'll stumble and
fall backwards through a wall into the last area.
[HARD MODE]
The same strategy listed above applies here, but you need to watch out more
for her attacks and be effective at dodging them. She inflicts a lot more
damage on you, and doesn't really follow the same patterns listed for the
Normal Mode encounter. Plan on relying more on looking at her color pattern
than a simple "Yellow->Purple->White" variation, as she tends to randomize
a bit more. Everything else in the Subchambers remains the same in regards
to when she gains particular attacks and how many phases she has. Metroid
Prime's attacks are a bit harder to dodge, and you must be able to take out
the homing bombs, as a single Plasma Bomb can easily eat 5 Energy Tanks, if
not more. Aside from these notes, the battle is more or less the same, she
does double damage to you, you do half as much to her, and so on. Grit your
teeth and press on to beat her.
Defeating Metroid Prime causes her to tumble down through a cave into the
final Subchamber. Follow her down and she'll shed her armored carapace and
expose herself for the gigantic mutated Metroid you already knew she was. The
final battle will now commence and be either excessively easy or ridiculously
difficult, depending on, it seems, her mood at the time. *shrug*
BOSS BATTLE: PRIME ESSENCE
--------------------------
This final battle can be pretty predictable, but like the Omega Pirate, she
likes to summon helpers in the form of varying Metroids during the fight.
Read below for Normal and Hard Mode strategies for defeating this final
version of Metroid Prime.
[NORMAL MODE]
Instead of a strategic battle where you have to dodge multiple attacks as
you inflict damage of your own, this fight is relatively straightforward in
its approach. Prime will hover around the room, following you around, and
occasionally launch either a Phazon Wave Quake (Space Jump to avoid this),
lash out at you with her tentacles (stay away), create Metroids (Ugh...
take them out however you see fit; Power Bomb the Fission variety), or
create small pools of pure Phazon (hint hint). For the majority of this
battle, you should face Prime and always maintain a lock while circling the
perimeter of the room. Dodge her first few Phazon Wave Quakes and charge
up so you can draw any refills in that she leaves behind. Once she creates
a pool of Phazon, she'll turn invisible, and this is where the real battle
begins. During these phases, Prime cycles through the visible spectra, but
you can track her by switching from your Combat Visor to your X-Ray Visor
to your Thermal Visor, and then back to the Combat Visor. Pick whichever
Visor you can see her in, maneuever over to the pool and stand directly in
it. The words "HYPER MODE" will flash across your HUD and your Phazon Beam
will engage. Don't hold down the fire button as this drains the pool too
quickly. Lock on and fire off quick bursts while continuously tracking her
to inflict the most damage. Swap Visors when appropriate and keep damaging
her until you've used up all of the Phazon. Once she starts creating Met-
roids, you will face regular ones first, Hunters second, and Fissions on
the third go-round. Afterwards she will create random groups, so take them
out if they're bothering you, but you should keep your eyes on Prime so you
know when she's invisible and when she's creating more Phazon Pools for you
to use. Beware of getting too close to Prime if you're not damaging her;
she'll smack you with her tentacles and throw you across the room. About
halfway through the battle, it will get a bit easier as Prime starts creat-
ing more than one pool at a time - when this happens, move from pool to
pool and keep firing to waste her energy away to nothing.
[HARD MODE]
Honestly, not much has changed. Prime is a little more aggressive and she
tends to stay closer to you, but attacking her is the same as in Normal
Mode. While the same basic strategy applies here, Prime is a bit more diff-
icult to track and lock on to this time around. She spends less time in
each spectral phase and launches constant attacks while in her invisible
mode. Multi-task by watching for Prime, locating available Phazon pools,
and dodging the ramming and Phazon Wave Quake attacks. Once you've locked
onto her, waste away with the Phazon Beam and continue to dodge attacks in
a careful manner until you claim victory over Hard Mode (it won't take much
longer than Normal Mode - about six rounds should do the trick).
Defeating Prime's Essence is the end for this mutant, and will restore tran-
quility to Tallon IV as the Phazon poison is destroyed. Depending on your
item percentage at the end, you'll see one of three endings (but this WAS a
guide for 100%):
1. ENDING 1 (1% - 74% ITEMS COLLECTED)
Prime starts to die, but shoots out tentacles that latch onto Samus Aran.
She fights to break free, but the tentacles manage to rip her Phazon Suit
directly from her armor, leaving her with the Gravity Suit. Prime's re-
mains expand and contract wildly, and Samus runs to escape the collapsing
Impact Crater. She stands atop her ship watching as the Artifact Temple
crumbles and burns, then starts to remove her helmet as she descends into
her Gunship.
2. ENDING 2 (75% - 99% ITEMS COLLECTED)
Prime starts to die, but shoots out tentacles that latch onto Samus Aran.
She fights to break free, but the tentacles manage to rip her Phazon Suit
directly from her armor, leaving her with the Gravity Suit. Prime's re-
mains expand and contract wildly, and Samus runs to escape the collapsing
Impact Crater. She stands atop her ship watching as the Artifact Temple
crumbles and burns, then descends into her Gunship. After the credits,
Samus removes her helmet and she is shown in a victory pose with the
"MISSION FINAL" screen.
3. ENDING 3 (100% ITEMS COLLECTED)
Prime starts to die, but shoots out tentacles that latch onto Samus Aran.
She fights to break free, but the tentacles manage to rip her Phazon Suit
directly from her armor, leaving her with the Gravity Suit. Prime's re-
mains expand and contract wildly, and Samus runs to escape the collapsing
Impact Crater. She stands atop her ship watching as the Artifact Temple
crumbles and burns, then removes her helmet before descending into her
Gunship. She is shown in a victory pose with the "MISSION FINAL" screen,
but afterwards, the scene shows a dark cave on Tallon IV, where a bubbling
and pulsating patch of Phazon is shown. As the shot zooms in, a black and
red metallic hand emerges from the Phazon, and an eyeball twitches around
in its palm. Of course, this is foreshadowing for Dark Samus' appearance
in the next game, METROID PRIME 2: ECHOES.
After all of these endings are completed, I like to believe Samus takes a
relaxing ride in her Gunship as its on autopilot, and heads into the back to
make a hot pot of coffee. But that's just me. Anyway, congratulations! If you
followed the objectives in this speed guide, you should have a final time of
somewhere in the neighborhood of two hours, give or take a little bit depen-
ding on your actual skill level. Now I guess I *could* go and finish the
METROID PRIME 2 guides...
=====================
== 9. ITEM LOCATIONS:
=====================
The walkthrough itself covers the location of each individual item in the game,
but a section is provided here in case you are missing particular Expansions,
Energy Tanks, or other items. It is broken down by Item Category, then further
subdivided into the regions of Tallon IV. But first, here is a quick explanat-
ion of how items are recorded in your completion total.
ITEM PERCENTAGE "GLITCH"
------------------------
Every Metroid game has always had 100 items to collect, spread across Energy
Tanks, Suit Upgrades, and Weapon Expansions. This is a rather easy system to
follow, as each item accounts for 1% of the total. Therefore, 100 items =
100%. But in METROID PRIME, you'll find that there are in fact only 99 items,
and if you miss one, you'll somehow be stuck at 98% - until the end of the
game, that is. To explain this, first refer to the breakdown below:
50x MISSILE EXPANSIONS
+ 14x ENERGY TANKS
+ 12x CHOZO ARTIFACTS
+ 8x BEAM ENHANCEMENTS
+ 5x MORPH BALL ENHANCEMENTS
+ 4x POWER BOMB EXPANSIONS
+ 3x ARMOR ENHANCEMENTS
+ 2x VISOR ENHANCEMENTS
+ 2x MOVEMENT SYSTEM ENHANCEMENTS
---------------------
100 ITEMS TOTAL
Where this 98% issue comes into play is even if you collect every single
item, you can look at the game's percentage totals and you will find that it
says 98% before you collect the Artifact of Lifegiver (or whatever your final
item happens to be), but when you do, you suddenly get 100%. The explanation
behind this is that for some reason, the game doesn't count your Phazon Suit
as an upgrade until you go to the final boss battles. An item-by-item analy-
sis was conducted and this was the end result - getting the Phazon Suit in no
way increases your item percentage until you reach the Artifact Temple. So in
a manner of speaking, there are only 99 items in this game - you lose the
Phazon Suit at the end anyway. *shrug*
Read below for a comprehensive listing of each item in the game, broken down
by type and then by planetary region.
ENERGY TANKS (14)
=================
You have a maximum total of 14 Energy Tanks. Each Tank you acquire adds 100
units of energy to your meter (and of course, another percentage point to
your item totals).
WRECKED SPACE PIRATE FRIGATE
----------------------------
01. CARGO FREIGHT LIFT TO DECK GAMMA
You need the Gravity Suit and the Charge Beam to get this during your
trek through the Crashed Frigate. Blast the door of the broken lift
inside this area to claim this Tank.
02. HYDRO ACCESS TUNNEL
While heading through here, execute an underwater Double Bomb Jump to
reach the Tank far in the ceiling.
CHOZO RUINS
-----------
03. TRANSPORT ACCESS NORTH
You don't need to do anything special if you get this via the back
entrance, so grab this one as you're coming down from the Sun Tower.
04. PLAZA ACCESS
Use the Morph Ball and grab this Tank via the Plaza Access Tunnel (by
way of the Vault).
05. TRAINING CHAMBER
You'll need the Boost Ball, the Spider Ball, and the Bombs. Use the
half-pipe to reach the Morph Ball slot on the right, then use the
lift at the bottom near the door to reach the Tank.
06. FURNACE
Use the Bombs to solve the puzzle in the Energy Core.
07. HALL OF THE ELDERS
You need the Ice Beam. Activate the White Slot and have the Elder
Statue roll you into the room containing the Tank.
MAGMOOR CAVERNS
---------------
08. TRANSPORT TUNNEL A
You need the Morph Ball and Bombs to do three separate Double Bomb
Jumps to reach the Tank.
09. MAGMOOR WORKSTATION
Use the Wave Beam to activate three power conduits, then use your
Morph Ball and Scan Visor to solve the puzzle leading to the Tank.
PHENDRANA DRIFTS
----------------
10. RUINED COURTYARD
Use Bombs to activate a Morph Ball slot that raises a series of plat-
forms, giving you access to a Morph Ball tunnel that leads to the
Tank.
11. RESEARCH LAB AETHER
Use a Missile to break the glass container on the lower level.
12. TRANSPORT ACCESS
You need the Plasma Beam. This one is frozen behind an ice wall.
PHAZON MINES
------------
13. VENTILATION SHAFT
Use a Power Bomb to reach the fan controls, then roll through the ex-
posed grate to the Tank.
14. PROCESSING CENTER ACCESS
After defeating the Omega Pirate, this is right in your path as you
move through the tunnel towards the Phazon Processing Center.
MISSILE EXPANSIONS (50)
=======================
You have a maximum total of 49 Missile Expansions in addition to the start-
ing Launcher that gives you 5 Missiles, resulting in a net total of 250
Missiles. Each additional Expansion is another 5 Missiles (and of course,
another percentage point to your item totals).
TALLON OVERWORLD
----------------
01. LANDING SITE
Behind your ship is a small Morph Ball tunnel; roll into it and go
through the Tangle Weed to find the Expansion.
02. TRANSPORT TUNNEL B
As you cross the narrow bridge leading towards the Root Cave, you can
find this Expansion under the bridge. Drop down to grab it.
03. OVERGROWN CAVERN
This one is stuck amongst some Venom Weed. Charge up the Boost Ball
and rocket through the poisonous plants to pick up the Expansion
along the way.
04. FRIGATE CRASH SITE
Head underwater and trek to the center of the lake (where the roots
are). Stand on the roots and Space Jump to the small alcove contain-
ing the Expansion.
05. LIFE GROVE TUNNEL
You need the Boost Ball to boost to the top of an oval-shaped rock
structure, then break the rock in the middle with a Bomb.
06. GREAT TREE CHAMBER
Use the X-Ray Visor to spot hidden ledges inside the Great Tree Hall
to find this Expansion.
07. ROOT CAVE
Use the X-Ray Visor to see the hidden ledges leading up this vertical
area. Scan around for the Expansion behind some plants.
08. ARBOR CHAMBER
Ascend to the very top of the Root Cave, then enter the red door at
the top to get this Expansion.
WRECKED SPACE PIRATE FRIGATE
----------------------------
09. BIOHAZARD CONTAINMENT
Use a Super Missile to break through one of the containment capsules
to find the hidden Expansion.
CHOZO RUINS
-----------
10. MAIN PLAZA
Look up in the half-pipe structure until you can see the small alcove
where this is, and Space Jump up until you can reach the Expansion.
11. MAIN PLAZA
Climb up to the bridge, then drop onto an ledge to the right. Use a
Super Missile to destroy the root knot on the tree, then Space Jump
to the Expansion.
12. MAIN PLAZA
Use the pathway through the Magma Pool, exit out via Piston Tunnel
and use the Grapple Beam to swing across the Plaza to this Expansion.
13. RUINED SHRINE
Break the sandstone near the bottom with a Bomb and roll to this Ex-
pansion. Be wary of Beetles following you into the tunnel.
14. RUINED SHRINE
Use the half-pipe to roll up the right side and Bomb through to the
tunnel where the Expansion is hidden.
15. HIVE TOTEM
This one sits in front of the Hive Mecha. To avoid triggering this
mini-boss battle, get it when you grab the Energy Tank from Transport
Access North, then Space Jump across the room to exit instead of
crossing the bridge.
16. RUINED GALLERY
Destroy the sandstone in the lower back-left wall with a Missile to
reveal the Expansion.
17. RUINED GALLERY
Bomb Jump into a small Morph Ball tunnel on the lower floor, then
roll through the tunnel to the Expansion.
18. WATERY HALL ACCESS
Use a Missile to crack the wall on the left by the water.
19. WATERY HALL
Use the Gravity Suit to go underwater, then Space Jump up the short
cliff to reach the Expansion.
20. DYNAMO
Use a Missile on the metallic decoration to uncover this Expansion.
21. DYNAMO
Use the nearby Magnetic Rail to roll up to the Expansion.
22. BURN DOME
Immediately after beating the Incinerator Drone, use a Bomb on the
stone blocking the entrance to a Morph Ball tunnel. Roll inside to
grab the Expansion.
23. RUINED NURSERY
You need to use Bombs in two separate places to clear some sandstone
blocks from the wall maze. Complete the puzzle to reach the Expan-
sion.
24. VAULT
Bomb Jump into each of three Morph Ball slots to deactivate the gates
blocking this Expansion.
25. GATHERING HALL
Use the Space Jump to get to the ledge above the door leading to the
Energy Core, then use a Morph Ball Bomb to blow up the grating cover-
ing the Expansion.
26. CROSSWAY
Use the half-pipe to activate a Morph Ball slot, then use a piston to
reach a ledge with the Expansion.
27. RUINED FOUNTAIN
Hop into the center of the Fountain, in Morph Ball form, and hold R
to stick to a Magnetic Rail. Follow the rail around into a tunnel
that holds this Expansion.
28. TRAINING CHAMBER ACCESS
Near the exit is a small Morph Ball tunnel obscured by foliage. Roll
on through to collect the Expansion.
29. FURNACE
Use a Power Bomb at the back to reveal a half-pipe, then Boost in the
half pipe to cling to a Magnetic Rail, and navigate a narrow walkway
to reach this Expansion.
MAGMOOR CAVERNS
---------------
30. STORAGE CAVERN
Roll under the Triclops Pit and into the Morph Ball slot to the right
to find a new room. Enter the door at the top and make your way to
the back to find this Expansion.
31. FIERY SHORES
Jump to the ledge with the Triclops, then Bomb Jump into the tunnel.
Take it, then bomb your way up the small maze to the right. Lastly,
slowly roll along a narrow track to reach the Expansion at the end.
32. TRICLOPS PIT
From solid ground, Space Jump out to an invisible ledge, then use 45
degree angled leaps onto two more invisible platforms, then fire a
Missile at the pillar in front of you to reveal this Expansion.
PHENDRANA DRIFTS
----------------
33. PHENDRANA SHORELINES
This one is hidden in some ice in a pillar near the first Save Stat-
ion. Melt the ice with the Plasma Beam to grab this Expansion.
34. PHENDRANA SHORELINES
Climb to the Chozo Ice Temple, destroy the Cordite with a Super Miss-
ile, scan the wall, then take the Magnetic Rail up to the Expansion.
35. ICE RUINS EAST
Use the Magnetic Rail in the building directly across from the entr-
ance to roll up to the Expansion.
36. ICE RUINS EAST
Beneath the door leading to Plaza Walkway, use the Plasma Beam to
melt the ice to get this Expansion.
37. RESEARCH LAB HYDRA
Use a Super Missile to break the Cordite wall on a stasis tank that
holds this hidden Expansion.
38. RESEARCH LAB AETHER
Space Jump up to a small ledge, then roll along a convoluted narrow
track to reach the Expansion at the end.
39. QUARANTINE MONITOR
Use the Grapple Beam in Quarantine Cave to swing across to the ledge
leading to this room. The Expansion is just inside the Morph Ball
tunnel.
40. GRAVITY CHAMBER
Use the ledges to climb above the water, then use the Plasma Beam to
melt some icicles in the ceiling. Use a newly-revealed Grapple Point
to swing over to the Expansion.
41. FROST CAVE
While making your way through, you can Space Jump over to the far
side and shoot a third stalactite down. This will crash through the
ice; drop down into the water to get this Expansion.
PHAZON MINES
------------
42. MAIN QUARRY
Activate the crane and let it crash into a wall, then use the Magnet-
ic Rail on the crane to roll over to the Expansion.
43. SECURITY ACCESS A
Near the entryway, face the rear wall and set a Power Bomb to destroy
the grating, giving access to the Expansion.
44. ELITE RESEARCH
On the top level, use the Spinner to rotate the Pulse Cannon so that
it faces the left wall. Fire the Cannon to reveal the Expansion.
45. ELITE CONTROL ACCESS
Destroy the explosives on the ledge, then Space Jump up to the ledge
and roll inside to find the Expansion.
46. METROID QUARANTINE A
Once you get to the ledge on the far side, use two Power Bombs to
destroy walls leading to a new set of Magnetic Rails. Follow these
rails to a platform on the others side, then use another invisible
moving platform to find the tricky Expansion.
47. FUNGAL HALL ACCESS
Drop to the very bottom and roll under the giant Saturnine. Make it
quick so you can get out of the Phazon patch.
48. FUNGAL HALL B
At the very end, use the X-Ray Visor to spy this Expansion hidden
underneath the floor by the patch of Saturnines. Use a Power Bomb to
clear the rock out of the way, then drop and collect it.
49. METROID QUARANTINE B
Get through the Quarantine area and cross the Phazon pit, then use a
Super Missile on the Cordite pillar to reach this Expansion.
50. PHAZON PROCESSING CENTER
As you make your way up the first set of invisible platforms, you can
see the Expansion hidden behind a wall on a ledge. Space Jump to the
ledge from the second invisible platform and use a Power Bomb to open
a path to it.
POWER BOMB EXPANSIONS (4)
=========================
You have a maximum total of 4 Power Bomb Expansions in addition to the ini-
tial upgrade which would give you 4 Power Bombs, resulting in a net total
of 8 Power Bombs. Each additional Expansion is one more Power Bomb (and of
course, another percentage point to your item totals).
CHOZO RUINS
-----------
01. MAGMA POOL
You need the Grapple Beam and Power Bombs. Enter the area from the
Ruined Fountain and swing across the lava pool, then detonate a Power
Bomb on the back wall for the Expansion.
MAGMOOR CAVERNS
---------------
02. WARRIOR SHRINE
This is in the same area as the Artifact of Strength. Detonate a
Power Bomb on the floor by the Chozo's feet to drop into a room that
holds this Expansion.
PHENDRANA DRIFTS
----------------
03. SECURITY CAVE
Climb to the top of Phendrana's Edge using L-Lock Space Jumps, then
enter the Morph Ball tunnel at the far end to find this Expansion.
04. ICE RUINS WEST
From the Ruined Courtyard, hop across the rooftop ledges and use the
Plasma Beam to melt the ice on the last roof to drop into a room that
holds this Expansion.
CHOZO ARTIFACTS (12)
====================
There are a total of 12 Chozo Artifacts needed to complete the game; you
cannot access the Impact Crater without them. Each Artifact adds another
percentage point to your item totals.
TALLON OVERWORLD
----------------
01. ARTIFACT OF TRUTH
Area: ARTIFACT TEMPLE
Head up to the Temple; it'll be sitting in plain sight in the center.
02. ARTIFACT OF CHOZO
Area: LIFE GROVE
You need to detonate Power Bombs to destroy the walls, then go in the
lake and Bomb the drain to reveal a bridge containing the Artifact.
CHOZO RUINS
-----------
03. ARTIFACT OF WILD
Area: SUNCHAMBER
Return to where you fought Flaahgra and battle three Chozo Ghosts for
this Artifact.
04. ARTIFACT OF LIFEGIVER
Area: MEDITATION CHAMBER
After getting the Wavebuster, drop into the water below and grab this
Artifact from the adjoining chamber.
05. ARTIFACT OF WORLD
Area: ELDER CHAMBER
Activate the red Morph Ball slot in the Hall of the Elders, then use
the Elder Statue to be thrown into a room containing this Artifact.
MAGMOOR CAVERNS
---------------
06. ARTIFACT OF STRENGTH
Area: WARRIOR SHRINE
Space Jump up to the uppermost section of Monitor Station and jump
atop the computers, then make a huge Space Jump across the gap to
land on a ledge leading to Warrior Shrine to get this Artifact.
07. ARTIFACT OF NATURE
Area: LAVA LAKE
In the first part of this room, look at the pillar nearest the door,
and use 2 Missiles to break part of the rock, then Space Jump to the
hole to reach the Artifact.
PHENDRANA DRIFTS
----------------
08. ARTIFACT OF SPIRIT
Area: STORAGE CAVE
While in Phendrana's Edge, ascend to the top to collect a Power Bomb
Expansion, then drop to the ledge above the root tree and set your
Power Bomb to blast apart the wall and reveal the entrance to the
room where this Artifact is.
09. ARTIFACT OF ELDER
Area: CONTROL TOWER
After you have the Plasma Beam, return to the Control Tower and jump
up to the area above the East Tower. Shoot down the leaning tower in
the distance with a Missile, then enter the tower after it crashes to
find this Artifact.
10. ARTIFACT OF SUN
Area: CHOZO ICE TEMPLE
Use the Plasma Beam to melt the ice river off of the Chozo statue
near the Chapel of the Elders. A Morph Ball tunnel leading to this
Artifact will be revealed at the bottom.
PHAZON MINES
------------
11. ARTIFACT OF WARRIOR
Area: ELITE RESEARCH
You'll get this one for defeating the Phazon Elite mini-boss.
12. ARTIFACT OF NEWBORN
Area: PHAZON MINING TUNNEL
While it is possible to get this without the Phazon Suit, it isn't
exactly recommended. Once you have it, backtrack to this area, roll
into the right-hand side of the tunnel and make your way down past
the Phazon and Brinstone to reach the Artifact at the very bottom.
BEAM ENHANCEMENTS (8)
=====================
You have four Beam Weapons in the game, plus an additional four Charge Com-
bo Enhancements for each Beam Weapon. Each additional weapon adds another
percentage point to your item totals.
01. CHARGE BEAM
Region: CHOZO RUINS
Area: WATERY HALL
Solve the runic symbol puzzle with the Scan Visor to unlock the gate
that leads to this item.
02. WAVE BEAM
Region: PHENDRANA DRIFTS
Area: CHAPEL OF THE ELDERS
You get this for defeating the Sheegoth mini-boss.
03. ICE BEAM
Region: CHOZO RUINS
Area: ANTECHAMBER
Enter the Hall of the Elders and use the Wave Beam to activate a pur-
ple Morph Ball slot. Use it and activate the Elder Statue to reach the
Reflecting Pool. Use a Bomb on the drain at the bottom to create a
half-pipe, then use the Boost Ball to reach the upper ledges to reach
this room.
04. PLASMA BEAM
Region: MAGMOOR CAVERNS
Area: PLASMA PROCESSING
Use Space Jumps from the door to land on a metal box, then a small rock
spire, and then leap to the spinning platforms. Space Jump up to the
top and use another Space Jump against a Magnetic Rail to push up onto
another platform. Use a Bomb Slot to raise the ceiling, then L-Lock
Space Jump out to a thin metallic rail along the wall. Trace along the
path to find three Magnetic Rail cubes. Face up at one, and "Ghetto
Jump" towards the wall, then back off to gain a bit of height and land
on top of the peg sticking out. Space Jump to the other two cubes, and
then to the white door leading to this item.
05. SUPER MISSILE CHARGE COMBO
Region: PHENDRANA DRIFTS
Area: OBSERVATORY
Activate the Observatory's holo sequencer, and use the platforms on
the walls to ascend to the top of the area. This item sits on a ledge
in the middle of the room.
06. WAVEBUSTER CHARGE COMBO
Region: CHOZO RUINS
Area: TOWER OF LIGHT
Crack the weakened blocks on all three levels to collapse the tower,
then use the Space Jump to reach a high ledge with this item.
07. ICE SPREADER CHARGE COMBO
Region: MAGMOOR CAVERNS
Area: SHORE TUNNEL
Detonate a Power Bomb in the middle of the tunnel to destroy it, then
drop down into the cave for this item.
08. FLAMETHROWER CHARGE COMBO
Region: PHAZON MINES
Area: MINE SECURITY STATION
You have to reach the top of the Mine Security Area and detonate a Pow-
er Bomb to clear some wreckage away. Scan the console to activate the
door on the lower level, then go back down and enter the room for this
item.
MORPH BALL ENHANCEMENTS (5)
===========================
You have five enhancements for your Morph Ball mode in the game, each of
which gives you increased mobility or offensive capability. Each additional
item adds another percentage point to your item totals.
01. MORPH BALL
Region: CHOZO RUINS
Area: RUINED SHRINE
This is behind a wall that retracts once the Plated Beetle has been de-
feated. Skip it by Space Jumping over the wall.
02. MORPH BALL BOMB
Region: CHOZO RUINS
Area: BURN DOME
You get this for defeating the Incinerator Drone.
03. BOOST BALL
Region: PHENDRANA DRIFTS
Area: PHENDRANA CANYON
Scan a console here to align a set of platforms leading to a tower and
then leap across the platforms and grab this item at the end.
04. SPIDER BALL
Region: PHENDRANA DRIFTS
Area: QUARANTINE CAVE
You get this for defeating Thardus.
05. POWER BOMB
Region: PHAZON MINES
Area: CENTRAL DYNAMO
Your main upgrade is in an electrical maze on the floor. Defeat the
Shadow Drone and use the Morph Ball and Bombs to navigate the maze
to reach this in the center of the room.
ARMOR ENHANCEMENTS (3)
======================
There are three upgrades to your Power Suit in the game, each of which will
increase your defensive capabilities. Each additional armor enhancement
also adds another percentage point to your item totals.
01. VARIA SUIT
Region: CHOZO RUINS
Area: SUNCHAMBER
You get this for defeating Flaahgra.
02. GRAVITY SUIT
Region: PHENDRANA DRIFTS
Area: GRAVITY CHAMBER
While making your way through the other side of Phendrana Drifts, you
will enter the underwater Gravity Chamber. Switch to the Scan Visor to
lock onto the item far in the distance, then thread your way through
the Aqua Reapers and Jelzaps to reach the Suit.
03. PHAZON SUIT
Region: PHAZON MINES
Area: OMEGA QUARTERS
You get this for defeating the Omega Pirate.
VISOR ENHANCEMENTS (2)
======================
You have two extra Visors besides the Combat and Scan Visors. Each one in-
creases what you can see and track (and of course, adds another percentage
point to your item totals).
01. THERMAL VISOR
Region: PHENDRANA DRIFTS
Area: RESEARCH CORE
Scan the consoles on the way down through the Core to unlock the field
protecting this item.
02. X-RAY VISOR
Region: TALLON OVERWORLD
Area: LIFE GROVE
Access this area and you'll find the item in plain sight.
MOVEMENT ENHANCEMENTS (2)
=========================
You have two additional upgrades that increase the mobility of your Power
Suit. Each one adds another percentage point to your item totals.
01. SPACE JUMP
Region: TALLON OVERWORLD
Area: Alcove
Start on the back-right engine of your Gunship, and use a L-Lock Dash
Jump to reach a cliff to your right. Turn and jump over the small gaps
to reach the room where this item is.
02. GRAPPLE BEAM
Region: PHAZON MINES
Area: STORAGE DEPOT B
Align the Magnetic Rail tracks in the room so you can travel all the
way up the yellow rail to reach this room.
========================
== 10. SECRETS AND TIPS:
========================
METROID PRIME has a few interesting things here and there besides what's been
already covered in the walkthrough. Here are some of the other things the game
has to offer.
1. GAME BOY ADVANCE UNLOCKABLES
If you have a Game Boy Advance and METROID FUSION, you can use a Game Link
Cable to connect these two games together and download exclusive in-game
extras. Connect the cable from your GBA to the GameCube, and go to the
option on the menu that says "Metroid Fusion Connection Bonuses". If you
have beaten METROID PRIME, you will be able to download the Fusion Suit
for use in the game. If you have beaten METROID FUSION, then you can also
download a copy of the original METROID game. The Fusion Suit must be
manually selected from here each time you wish to use it, and uses the
same color palette from METROID FUSION for the Varia and Gravity Suits,
and turns you bright red and orange for the Phazon Suit. With the original
METROID, the controls are a bit different, but the Password system is pre-
served in its original form. You can use all of the old Passwords, includ-
ing the JUSTIN BAILEY and the NARPAS SWORD ones, or you can opt to save
your game data to the Memory Card. The controls for the original game are
listed below:
- CONTROL STICK/PAD: Move around, Aim Up, and use Morph Ball.
- START/PAUSE: Pause game.
- L BUTTON: Quit and return to menu.
- Z BUTTON: Switch from Beams to Missiles, or Option select.
- A/Y BUTTON: Fire Beam/Missiles, set Bombs as Morph Ball.
- B/X BUTTON: Jump.
2. EASTER EGGS
There are a few creatures you'll encounter throughout the game that will
be quite familiar to fans of the Metroid series. While a few like the Gee-
mer are only minor, there are a few rarer "easter eggs" of sorts. I'll
detail the ones I know about.
- ALPHA METROID
There are two of these in the Hydra Research Labs. One is a dead Metroid
that you can scan as an "Alpha Class Metroid", but it is actually just a
regular one. The second is actually an Alpha Metroid, found in Research
Lab Aether in the central stasis tube. However, you can't scan this one.
- ZEBESIAN SIDEHOPPER
You can find this in Biohazard Containment on the Space Pirate Frigate
(the first time around). It's fairly easy to find; just look or listen
for the thing beating up one of the containment doors. Scan it and you
will get clear readings of a Zebesian Sidehopper.
3. SECRET WORLDS
Anyone familiar with the first METROID game knows about the prolific and
expansive "Secret Worlds" that can be accessed by scrolling Samus off of
the map. METROID PRIME has these in abundance as well, although they don't
seem to be intentional as they're usually found by forcing yourself out of
the standard confines of a room. The first one was discovered in Transport
Tunnel C, and you can squeeze yourself out from a hole in a tree. There
are others - some are difficult to find, some are easy, like the one in
the Gathering Hall - just climb to the top of the room and leap out. When
you're in one, it's often very difficult to move around, and sometimes
even harder to get back into the map! Don't use the Morph Ball if you get
into one as you'll get stuck in an endless fall, and if you want to jump
around, you have to manually aim and lock your view towards whatever you
are trying to reach. In some instances, these can be used to bypass entire
sections of the game, but this is for much more advanced players. For more
info on secret worlds, visit Metroid2002 (http://www.metroid2002.com) or
SCU (http://www.samus.co.uk).
4. EXTRA STUFF
This stuff really falls into a category of things that don't necessarily
help the game along, but it's interesting to do if you're bored. Check the
list below.
- MEGA METROIDS
This works best for Hunter Metroids, particularly the first one you find
in Frost Cave. Fire Power Beam shots at it until it sizzles, then the
Metroid will mutate into a huge version of its former self. Just keep in
mind that this usually puts the Metroid you're toying with into a pretty
agitated mood, and the energy its absorbing makes it more powerful.
Still, it's fun to see a gigantic Metroid every now and then.
- ODD ANIMATIONS
These are pretty interesting, actually. One of them occurs if you rapid-
fire the Power Beam - it causes the barrel to start smoking like an old
pistol. Another one occurs if you simply stand still - Samus will begin
auto-looking around a bit, and she'll fiddle with the controls on her
Arm Cannon. A third one is even more interesting - switch to the X-Ray
Visor and switch Beams. Watch Samus' arm as you do, she clearly makes
hand gestures as the new beam is activated, correponding to the icon
of the Beam in your Combat Visor. Interesting little bit of light shed
on some advanced Chozo technology, I suppose.
=============
== 11. LEGAL:
=============
This guide is released under a Creative Commons License, and is available for
non-commercial display and/or redistribution. The title for this deed can be
found at (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/), along with the
legal code: (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/legalcode). Any-
one has permission to use this guide for personal use or to host or display it
online provided credit to the author is given and no alterations are made to
the existing content.
Copyright (C) 2012 Timothy Jones (NeoChozo). Some rights reserved.
All rights, including the copyrights of game, scenario, music and program are
Copyright (C) Nintendo.

This document is copyright NeoChozo and hosted by Neoseeker with permission.